Rahul Shukla's research while affiliated with National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research and other places

Cannabis and its Derivatives: Guide to Medical Application and Regulatory Challenges summarizes the current state of research and clinical pharmacology of cannabis-based therapeutics, along with associated regulatory frameworks. Sections cover historical, botanical, and taxonomical platforms of cannabis, chemical derivatives of the cannabis plant, a literature review of therapeutic applications, the biological fate of cannabis and its metabolic products, pain management, neurological disorders, cancer management, interactions with other drugs, veterinary applications, and the adverse effects of Cannabis overuse in humans. The book's final section is devoted to discussions around regulatory challenges and future considerations. This is the ideal reference pharmaceutical scientists, clinicians, and academic researchers who want access to updated information on the therapeutic applications of cannabis and its derivates. Corporate researchers will also benefit from this book’s presentation of the associated regulatory environment. Key Features Explores the potential of Cannabis derivatives and medicinal properties in several medical fields Highlights the regulatory challenges around the clinical use and research of Cannabis Covers applications to conditions like cancer, neurological disorders, pain management, and interactions with other drugs

Animals in the present day confront a range of difficulties when it comes to receiving adequate medical care. Most of these challenges arise from the constraints of traditional methods for administering drugs and the forms in which dosages are provided. Furthermore, animals commonly face compliance problems, hindering consistent and precise medication administration. This is worsened by the absence of suitable dosage forms and the lack of control over drug release and timing. All of these issues demand advanced drug delivery strategies that provide safe, effective, and compliant treatment with efficacy. Recently, controlled drug delivery systems (CDDS) have garnered significant attention in the field of veterinary medicine. Precisely, CDDS employing polymers, lipids, and other biomaterials can achieve controlled release of veterinary drugs, prolonging the therapeutic effects, and thereby reducing dosing frequency. In this regard, the present review provides a concise overview of various CDDS and polymer-engineered technologies designed for veterinary medicines. Additionally, it thoroughly examines diverse administration routes for veterinary formulations, encompassing formulation design considerations, challenges, and potential industrial opportunities. Lastly, it delves into the significance of nanotechnology in veterinary medicines and provides a summary of regulatory perspectives in this field

Globally, cancer ranks second for mortality rate with the mark of >ten million deaths in 2020 only. Cancer is characterized by the transmutation of normal healthy cells to abnormal cancerous cells in a multistage tumor progression. Generally, cancer is categorized as malignant (or metastatic) and benign. In metastatic embedment, lymphatics are the favorable site for carcinogenic foreign invaders. The progression of lymphatic cancer causes uncontrolled growth of all the immune cells which ensures infection of almost every organ. However, in normal individuals, lymphatics are regarded as a prominent framework for host defense with the major components of helper T-cells and B cells. Currently, available treatment modalities include painful procedures of surgical interventions, chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy, and radiation therapy. These traditional treatments encounter various limitations which affect the socioeconomic status of a patient and their family wards. However, promising pharmaceutical nanoengineered approaches change the face of treatment and keep the pace in the patient’s recovery when compared with conventional treatment. From all the nanotechnological approaches, nanocrystal is regarded as a smart nanosized carrier as it offers advantages like targeting precision, high drug loading, devoid of organic solvents or solubilizing agents, and ease of entry within the lymphatic system via leaky tumor vasculature. Recent advancements in multifunctional nanocrystal have shown the potential of nanocrystal as a versatile delivery vehicle for lymphatic targeting with anticancer therapeutics. In this chapter, we will describe lymphatic cancer development, the need for amalgamation of nanotechnology with anticancer therapeutics, nanocrystals feasibility in lymphatic cancer targeting,

The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in developed and developing nations is increasing day by day. The monotherapy doesn't fit best for AD due to chronic treatment. This work aimed to prepare the liposomes coloaded with Donepezil and pine oil intended for adjuvant effect. Pine oil was selected due to its amyloid disaggregation and AChE inhibition property. The thin film hydration method with sonication was selected to formulate ultra-small-sized unilamellar vesicles. Apart from this formulated vesicle were subject to particle size, morphological, release, nasal ciliotoxicity and cellular uptake studies. The PDI, particle size, and zeta potential of the final egg lecithin-based liposome were found to be 0.19, 129 nm, and -27.5 mV, respectively, stable at 4° and 25°C. SEM microscopy of oil-loaded liposomes exhibits a crystalline cubic shape and is compared with alone drug-loaded liposomes that are spherical. AChE inhibition activity was found to be higher in combination when compared with others. The prepared liposomes were safe when studied for nasal ciliotoxicity studies and rapid uptake by C6 cells with complete internalization. This study demonstrated the development and potential of the vesicular system that carries valuable characteristics and overcomes patient compliance concerns that prove to be novel therapeutics for managing AD. Graphical Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is an emanating autoimmune disorder marked by short-term, non-scarring loss of hair in distinct patches or of the entire scalp. The transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is used to give drugs via transdermal patches, gels, lotions, and ointments. This approach provides better bioavailability and allows for a minimally invasive regulated release of pharmaceuticals over a longer period with fewer changes in peak plasma concentrations. It also has downsides since the stratum corneum (SC) layer, the outermost epidermal barrier, prevents large molecules from reaching this layer. This review looks at substantial research conducted on microneedles (MNs) as a potential option for the transdermal administration of drugs in addition to the expanding demand for non-invasive and patient-compatible medication administration strategies. MNs provide superior therapeutic effects than typical TDDS because they significantly increase the effectiveness of transdermal administration by bypassing the SC barrier. It also provides synergistic action with the drug by inflicting small localized wounds on the skin, which triggers the expulsion of numerous growth factors (fibroblast, platelet-derived, and transforming growth factors), enhancing collagen, elastin production and allows for spatiotemporally regulated medication release in the epidermal layers. This review comprises the epidemiology, pathophysiology, hair growth cycle, MN drug delivery strategies, and successful preclinical and clinical cases of MN combining drug treatment for the treatment of AA.

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a distinguishing checkpoint that segregates peripheral organs from neural compartment. It protects the central nervous system from harmful ambush of antigens and pathogens. Owing to such explicit selectivity, the BBB hinders passage of various neuroprotective drug molecules that escalates into poor attainability of neuroprotective agents towards the brain. However, few molecules can surpass the BBB and gain access in the brain parenchyma by exploiting surface transporters and receptors. For successful development of brain-targeted therapy, understanding of BBB transporters and receptors is crucial. This review focuses on the transporter and receptor–based mechanistic pathway that can be manoeuvred for better comprehension of reciprocity of receptors and nanotechnological vehicle delivery. Nanotechnology has emerged as one of the expedient noninvasive approaches for brain targeting via manipulating the hurdle of the BBB. Various nanovehicles are being reported for brain-targeted delivery such as nanoparticles, nanocrystals, nanoemulsion, nanolipid carriers, liposomes and other nanovesicles. Nanotechnology-aided brain targeting can be a strategic approach to circumvent the BBB without altering the inherent nature of the BBB.

Past scientific testimonials in the field of glioma research, the deadliest tumor among all brain cancer types with the life span of 10-15 months after diagnosis is considered as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Even though the availability of treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, are unable to completely cure GBM due to tumor microenvironment complexity, intrinsic cellular signalling, and genetic mutations which are involved in chemoresistance. The blood-brain barrier is accountable for restricting drugs entry at the tumor location and related biological challenges like endocytic degradation, short systemic circulation, and insufficient cellular penetration lead to tumor aggression and progression. The above stated challenges can be better mitigated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA) by knockdown genes responsible for tumor progression and resistance. However, siRNA encounters with challenges like inefficient cellular transfection, short circulation time, endogenous degradation, and off-target effects. The novel functionalized nanocarrier approach in conjunction with biological and chemical modification offers an intriguing potential to address challenges associated with the naked siRNA and efficiently silence STAT3, coffilin-1, EGFR, VEGF, SMO, MGMT, HAO-1, GPX-4, TfR, LDLR and galectin-1 genes in GBM tumor. This review highlights the nanoengineered siRNA carriers, their recent advancements, future perspectives, and strategies to overcome the systemic siRNA delivery challenges for glioma treatment.

Skin disorders are the most common apprehension worldwide among different regions of the world. Topical route of administration offers benefits over other routes such as avoidance of first‐pass metabolism, low dose, longer residence time, and absence of off‐target delivery. Skin serves as a mechanical barrier for therapeutic delivery with selectively permeable essential molecules. Considering the structural complexity of skin, delivery of therapeutics at targeted site requires sophisticated method such as nanotechnology‐assisted therapeutic delivery. The roadmap for combinatorial approach of nanotechnology and skin therapeutics has proven significant in clinical and marketed products. Currently, various pharmaceutical aids such as nanocrystal (NCs), nanoparticles, nanoemulsion, nano‐micelles, nano lipidic carriers, and hybrid nanocarriers are currently in market. Among all the other nanocarriers, nanocrystal offers precedence over other nanocarriers due to its facile method of preparation, reproducibility, low excipient concentration, and high therapeutic loading capacity. The recent literature data suggest the breakthrough evolution of NCs in topical therapeutic delivery. The outcome of these interventions envisages the applicability of NCs for delivering molecules with compromised physicochemical characteristics such as solubility, stability, toxicity, and bioavailability concerns.

Viral infections represent a significant threat to global health due to their highly communicable and potentially lethal nature. Conventional antiviral interventions encounter challenges such as drug resistance, tolerability issues, specificity concerns, high costs, side effects, and the constant mutation of viral proteins. Consequently, the exploration of alternative approaches is imperative. Therefore, nanotechnology-embedded drugs excelled as a novel approach purporting severe life-threatening viral disease. Integrating nanomaterials and nanoparticles enables ensuring precise drug targeting, improved drug delivery, and fostered pharmacokinetic properties. Notably, nanocrystals (NCs) stand out as one of the most promising nanoformula-tions, offering remarkable characteristics in terms of physicochemical properties (higher drug loading, improved solubility, and drug retention), pharmacokinetics (enhanced bioavailability, dose reduction), and optical properties (light absorptiv-ity, photoluminescence). These attributes make NCs effective in diagnosing and ameliorating viral infections. This review comprises the prevalence, pathophysiology, and resistance of viral infections along with emphasizing on failure of current antivirals in the management of the diseases. Moreover, the review also highlights the role of NCs in various viral infections in mitigating, diagnosing, and other NC-based strategies combating viral infections. In vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies evident for the effectiveness of NCs against viral pathogens are also discussed.