Pharmaceutics
Propolis-Based Microneedles Incorporating Neratinib-Loaded Ocimum basilicum Essential Oil-Based Lipid Nanovesicles for Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapy: Formulation and In Vivo Evaluation in an Ehrlich Solid Tumor Model
By Elhabal SF, Awad AbdelGhany Morsy S, Azer MS and 9 others.
Abstract
Background
Neratinib (NTB) is a potent pan-HER inhibitor, but its oral bioavailability is limited due to poor aqueous solubility, low permeability, and gastrointestinal toxicity. This study incorporated a bioactive transdermal system by incorporating NTB-loaded nanovesicles of Ocimum basilicum oil (NTB-OOs) into dissolving microneedles of PVA/PVP-propolis.
Methods
Ocimum basilicum oil was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). NTB-OOs were screened by I-optimal design and evaluated for vesicular properties, stability, release, skin permeation, and cytotoxicity. The optimized vesicles were loaded in propolis microneedles and evaluated mechanically, ex vivo, and in MCF-7 cells and Ehrlich solid carcinoma-bearing mice.