Mahmoud A. Younis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common deadly malignancy, requires novel therapeutic strategies to improve the survival rate. Combining chemotherapy and gene therapy is a promising approach for increasing efficiency and reducing side effects. We report on the design of highly specific lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) encapsulating both the chemotherapeutic drug, sorafenib (SOR), and siRNA against the midkine gene (MK), thereby conferring a novel highly efficient anticancer effect on HCC. The LNPs we

Graphical abstract

Abstract Treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently limited to early stages where surgical intervention is applicable. Meanwhile, the response for most chemotherapies is still low, leaving patients in advanced stages without an effective therapeutic approach. Other therapeutic strategies based on immunotherapies or radiotherapy have a narrow spectrum with multiple limitations. These collective drawbacks necessitate the development of alternative strategies. Gene therapy has achiev

Sulpiride (SUL), anti-dopaminergic drug, has a specific site for absorption located in the upper portion of the gastrointestinal tract hence, its oral delivery represents a challenge regarding SUL absorption and bioavailability. So, a gastro-retentive oral platform of SUL was developed to increase its gastric residence time, release SUL at a controlled rate in the stomach and consequently, enable it to reach its specific absorption site. Floating microsponges were prepared via quasi-emulsion sol

The aim of this work was to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of poorly-soluble, weakly-basic, antiemetic drug; domperidone (DMP) using solid dispersion technique. Solubility studies of DMP with various hydrophilic carriers including sorbitol, mannitol, PEG 4000, PEG 6000, pluronic F-68 and pluronic F-127 were performed. Pluronic F-68 and pluronic F-127 showed the highest solubilizing effect on DMP and therefore; they were selected for the preparation of solid dispersions in different

Solubility is a significant physicochemical parameter that affects the absorption, bioavailability and therapeutic effectiveness of any drug. Formulation development would fail if drug has a poor aqueous solubility. The low aqueous solubility of drug substances will lead to inadequate absorption and consequently, low bioavailability. Improvement of the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of hydrophobic drugs remains one of the most difficult challenges in drug development process. Among vari

Functional coating of AgNPs with CHI substantially modulated their <i>in vivo</i> behavior, promoting their hepatic selectivity and biotolerability, which can be invested in the development of drug delivery systems for the treatment of liver diseases.