The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of trillions of microbes residing in the human gastrointestinal tract. This microbial community plays a pivotal role in human health by swaying various physiological processes like metabolism, immunomodulation, antimicrobial protection, and psychological health. Natural and biological products comprising herbal extracts, dietary fibers, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have long...

Fungal keratitis (FK), caused by fungi like Aspergillus , Fusarium , and Candida , accounts for 20–60% of microbial keratitis cases and over 1 million visual impairments annually. Voriconazole (VOR) is effective against FK, but its eye drop formulations suffer from poor bioavailability, while intrastromal injections are invasive and carry risks. This study aimed to address these challenges by formulating a VOR nanosuspension (...

Neurological disorders (ND) pose a major global health challenge, in large part due to the restrictive nature of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which prevents most therapeutic agents from reaching the central nervous system (CNS). Intranasal delivery (IN) offers a non-invasive and patient-friendly route to bypass the BBB via the olfactory and trigeminal pathways, but its success requires advanced nanocarrier systems capable of...

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) are characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, which is driven primarily by oxidative stress and chronic neuroinflammation. Central to the cellular antioxidant defense system is the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2)–Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) pathway, which mitigates oxidative damage and preserves mitochon...

Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer that accounts for only ~ 1% of all skin cancer cases but is responsible for most skin cancer-related deaths. Despite advances in systemic therapies, localized treatment options remain limited. Dacarbazine (DCB), the only FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agent for melanoma, is administered intravenously and is associated with systemic toxicity, poor patient compliance, and nonspecific dr...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease characterised by inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration within the central nervous system (CNS). While the exact causes remain unclear, recent research highlights the significant role of epigenetic modifications and mitochondrial dysfunction in the disease’s onset and progression. Epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and micro...

Proteins are vital for the regulation of several cellular functions, including the synthesis of structural components. The change in environmental conditions will impact conformational stability and result in aggregation. Protein aggregation involves different states of proteins, like nonnative, unfolded, and native states, which make them complex processes. The proper understanding of protein aggregation pathways involving th...

Hydrogel-forming microneedle (MN) arrays are minimally-invasive devices that can penetrate the stratum corneum , the main barrier to topical drug application, without causing pain. However, drug delivery using hydrogel-forming MN arrays tends to be relatively slow compared to rapid drug delivery using conventional needles and syringes. Therefore, in this work, for the first time, different physical and chemical delivery enhanc...

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy in which progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and the optic nerve leads to irreversible visual loss. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. The pathogenesis of glaucoma is determined by different pathogenetic mechanisms, including increased intraocular pressure, mechanical stress, excitotoxicity, resistance to aqueous drainage and oxidative stress. Topical formulations...

The discovery of proteins that neutralise vascular endothelial growth factors, such as pegaptanib, ranibizumab and aflibercept, can inhibit the process of angiogenesis, thereby restoring eyesight in individuals with retinal vascular disorders. However, due to the posterior location and chronic nature of retinal diseases, a safe and effective intraocular protein delivery system is currently lacking. Thus, dissolving bilayer mic...

Purpose Whilst significant progress has been made to defeat HIV infection, the efficacy of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in the paediatric population is often hindered by poor adherence. Currently, two long-acting (LA) intramuscular injectable nanosuspensions of rilpivirine (RPV) and cabotegravir (CAB) are in clinical development for paediatric populations. However, administration requires access to healthcare resources, is pai...

The development of dissolving microneedles (DMN) is one of the advanced technologies in transdermal drug delivery systems, which precisely deliver the drugs through a rapid dissolution of polymers after insertion into the skin. In this study, we fabricated nanoemulsion-loaded dissolving microneedle (DMN) arrays for intradermal and transdermal drug delivery. For this task, model drug (amphotericin B, AmB)-loaded nanoemulsion (N...

Chronic fungal infection of the cornea could lead to blindness if not treated properly. Topical amphotericin B (AMP-B) is considered the first treatment of choice for ocular fungal infection. However, factors related to its poor solubility and penetration through intact cornea lead to poor bioavailability. Microneedles (MNs) are emerging as a minimally invasive method to enhance ocular drug delivery. This study aims to investi...

Purpose To apply a simple and flexible manufacturing technique, two-photon polymerisation (2PP), to the fabrication of microneedle (MN) array templates with high precision and low cost in a short time. Methods Seven different MN array templates were produced by 2PP 3D printing, varying needle height (900–1300 μm), shape (conical, pyramidal, cross-shaped and with pedestal), base width (300–500 μm) and interspacing (100–500 μm)....