The application of nanogold in biopharmaceutical field is reviewed in this work. The properties of nanogold including nanogold surface Plasmon absorption and nanogold surface Plasmon light scattering are illustrated. The physical, chemical, biosynthesis methods of nanogold preparation are presented. Catalytic properties as well as biomedical applications are highlighted as one of the most important applications of nanogold. Biosensing, and diagnostic and therapeutic applications of gold nanoparticles are evaluated. Moreover, gold nanoparticles in drugs, biomolecules and proteins' delivery are analyzed. Gold nanoparticles for the site-directed photothermal applications are reviewed as the most fruitful research area in the future.

Apigenin (APG) is a very well-known flavonoid for its anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. The purpose of this study is to improve the solubility and bioavailability of APG using a stable bioactive self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (Bio-SNEDDS). APG was incorporated in an oil phase comprising coconut oil fatty acid, Imwitor 988, Transcutol P, and HCO30 to form a Bio-SNEDDS. This preparation was characterized for morphology, particle size, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The APG performance was investigated in terms of loading, precipitation, release and stability tests from the optimal Bio-SNEDDS. An antimicrobial test was performed to investigate the activity of the Bio-SNEDDS against the selected strains. Bioavailability of the Bio-SNEDDS was evaluated using Wister rats against the commercial oral product and the pure drug. The results demonstrated the formation of an efficient nanosized (57 nm) Bio-SNEDDS with a drug loading of 12.50 mg/gm which is around 500-fold higher than free APG. TEM analysis revealed the formation of spherical and homogeneous nanodroplets of less than 60 nm. The dissolution rate was faster than the commercial product and was able to maintain 90% APG in gastro intestinal solution for more than 4 h. A stability study demonstrated that the Bio-SNEDDS is stable at a harsh condition. The in vivo pharmacokinetics parameters of the Bio-SNEDDS formulation in comparison to the pure drug showed a significant increase in maximum concentration (C_max) and area under the curve (AUC _(0–t)) of 105.05% and 91.32%, respectively. Moreover, the antimicrobial study revealed moderate inhibition in the bacterial growth rate. The APG-Bio-SNEDDS could serve as potential carrier aimed at improving the clinical application of APG.

With over 50 years of research in granulation technology, however more research is required to elucidate this widely applicable technology. Wetting phenomena could influence redistribution of individual ingredients within a granule according their solubility and also could affect the drying processes. Binder selection for a particular system is quite often empirical and dependent on the skills and experience of the formulator. Hand squeeze test was and still the main way for determination of wet granulation end point, but it is subjected to individual variation. It depends mainly on operator experience, so it is not possible to be validated. Literature reveals a variety of advanced monitoring techniques following up different wet massing stages. Torque measurement has been proved to be the most reliable control method as its tight relation to mass resistance. Many reports showed successful applications of mixing torque rheometer (MTR) for monitoring the wet massing procedure and scale up in addition to some preformulation applications. MTR as a new approach allows formulators to select a liquid addition range where the granule growth behavior is more predictable.

Pioglitazone Hydrochloride (PGZ) suffers from poor aqueous solubility. The aim of this research was to design orally disintegrating tablets with self-nanoemulsifying properties (T-SNEDDS) to improve the Pioglitazone solubility and dissolution rate. Three liquid self-nanoemulsifying systems (L-SNEDDS) were formulated and evaluated for transmittance percentage, emulsification time, particle size, Poly dispersity index (PDI), percentage of content, solubility and stability. The optimum L-SNEDDS formula was converted to a solidified self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) by adsorption on Syloid (SYL). Powder characterization tests, such as flowability tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were performed for the selected S-SNEDDS formulation. Orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) were formulated by blending S-SNEDDS with tableting excipients. The ODT tablet batch composed of Prosolv was selected for tablet quality control tests, such as hardness, friability, disintegration time, content uniformity, weight variation, in vitro release, in vivo studies and accelerated stability studies. ODT tablets showed accepted mechanical properties and rapid disintegration time ( 0.05). In vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation of ODTs showed better behavior compared to the raw drug suspension and the commercial tablet (p > 0.05). Orally disintegrating tablets revealed a promising potential to improve Pioglitazone poor aqueous solubility, dissolution profile and bioavailability.

Inflammation is responsible for the development of many diseases that make up a significant cause of death. The purpose of the study was to develop a novel nanophytosomal preparation of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and egg phospholipid complex that has a lower particle size with higher drug loading capability, physical stability and anti-inflammatory activities. The impact of different factors and material characteristics on the average particle size was studied along with the drug loading of phytosome using design of experiment (DoE). The in vivo anti-inflammatory study was evaluated using a rat model to investigate the performance of EGCG nanophytosome. UHPLC results showed that 500 µg of EGCG were present in 1 mL of green tea extract. SEM data exhibited that phytosome (phospholipid-drug complex) was in the nanosize range, which was further evident from TEM data. Malvern Zetasizer data showed that the average particle size of the EGCG nanophytosome was in the range of 100–250 nm. High drug loading (up to 90%) was achieved with optimum addition rate, stirring temperature and phospholipid concentration. Stability study data suggest that no significant changes were observed in average particle size and drug loading of nanophytome. The in vivo anti-inflammatory study indicated a significant anti-inflammatory activity of green tea extract, pure EGCG and its phytosomal preparations (p ≤ 0.001) against acute paw edema.

An isocratic simple rapid assay has been developed and validated for the determination of carbamazepine (CBZ) in both solution form and rabbit plasma using propylparaben as an internal standard. The assay was performed using a μ-Bondapak C₁₈ (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (50:50), the flow rate was 1 ml/min and UV detection at 285 nm. The method was found to be specific for CBZ, no interfering peaks were observed with an overall analytical run time of 15 min. Accuracy reported as % recovery were found to be 98.37–100.45% and 97.53–103.58% for inter-day and intra-day accuracies, respectively. Inter-day precision (reproducibility) was found to be 0.53–2.75% RSD, while intra-day precision (repeatability) was found to be 1.06–3.7% RSD for the samples studied. The calibration curve was found to be linear with the equation y = 0.2847x + 0.0138, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999 (R²) over a concentration range of 0.5–40 μg/ml. The limit of quantitation was the lowest concentration. The method is simple and rapid and does not require any preliminary treatment of the sample. The method was fully validated.