RECENT ADVANCES IN PHYTOCHEMICAL-BASED NANOPARTICLES FOR COLON-SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY , AVIKUMAR BAWANKAR, LAXMIKANT ZAWAR, and Cellulose Chemistry and Technology, 2025 Colon-specific drug delivery has emerged as a promising strategy for treating colonic diseases while minimizing systemic side effects. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the development of phytochemical-based nanoparticles that offer enhanced targeting, improved drug stability, and controlled release profiles. This review highlights the therapeutic potential of plant-derived phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids, and their application in nanoparticle systems for colon-targeted therapy. The unique bioactive properties, biocompatibility, and low toxicity of phytochemicals make them ideal candidates for nanoparticulate formulations. The review discusses various nanocarrier systems including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, micelles, and silica-based nanoparticles, emphasizing their role in enhancing the solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy of encapsulated phytochemicals. It also explores preparative methods, such as nanoprecipitation, ionotropic gelation, and solvent evaporation. Moreover, synergistic combinations of phytochemicals with chemotherapeutic agents in multifunctional nanoparticles demonstrate improved outcomes against diseases like colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Despite encouraging progress, challenges such as clinical translation, reproducibility, and large-scale manufacturing remain. Overall, phytochemical-based nanoparticles hold immense potential to revolutionize colon-specific drug delivery, offering a safe and effective platform for localized and personalized therapy.
FORMULATION OF CALCIUM-CROSSLINKED ZEIN-GELLAN GUM NANOPARTICLES FOR NARINGENIN DELIVERY: STABILITY, DIGESTION SIMULATION, AND ANTIOXIDANT EVALUATION , SHIVAJI JADHAV, SOPAN NANGARE, , PIYUSH BAFNA, , PREMKUMAR BAVISKAR, , LAXMIKANT ZAWAR, and Cellulose Chemistry and Technology, 2025 Naringenin (NR), a bioactive flavonoid with antioxidant and therapeutic potential, has limited pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications owing to its poor water solubility and stability. To overcome these challenges, this study presents a novel core-shell nanocarrier system comprising zein (Zn) nanoparticles coated with calcium-crosslinked gellan gum (GG) for enhanced NR stability and sustained release. Zn-NR-GG nanoparticles were formulated via anti-solvent precipitation and calcium-mediated gelation, resulting in a uniform gel network with an average size of 234 nm. The GG shell provides structural integrity, preventing nanoparticle aggregation and enzymatic degradation under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The nanoparticles exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (>91%), enhanced antioxidant activity, and a controlled NR release profile of 56.66 ± 0.11% over 4 h. The stability assessments demonstrated resistance to thermal, ionic, and pH variations, underscoring their robustness for bioactive delivery. The integration of protein-polysaccharide interactions with calcium-induced gelation offers an effective strategy for improving NR solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy. This study highlights Zn-NR-GG nanoparticles as promising polymeric biomaterials for controlled nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone Grafted Almond Gum: A Natural Dietary Polysaccharide for Controlled Release of Diclofenac Sodium Snehal Pawar, Sopan Nangare, Premkumar Baviskar, Laxmikant Zawar Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 2025 Background: Gums occurring in nature are widely used in pharmaceuticals for their unique properties and diversified applications. The natural gums are almost safely consumed as food additives as well as drug carriers, almond gum commonly known as ‘Badam’ gum. It is inexpensive and endowed with a variety of beneficial traits such as antibacterial, antioxidant and emulsifier properties. Polymers are important in every individual’s life, advancement in polymer sciences are helpful to improve their use, modifications and grafting alteration of natural gums with polymers has gained more values. N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NVP) is the biocompatible, hydrophilic, non-ionic and non-toxic monomer. Due to its great affinity to numerous polymers it has diversified uses in the fields of cosmetics, medicine, food tech. Objectives: However, use of polymers is associated with problems; to overcome all the drawbacks and to assess the hidden benefits of them, here a research experiment is carried out to graft this almond gum with NVP for assessment of its activity as release modifier. Materials and Methods: The grafting is done with the help of microwave irradiation technique through the mechanism of free radical generation. Ceric ammonium nitrate was used as free radical inducer. Grafted gum was characterized by FTIR, DSC, SEM, XRD, EDX and Swelling study. Further the grafted gum was subjected to mucoadhesion study by preparing the tablet with diclofenac as model drug. Tablet was evaluated for Precompression and post compression parameters and finally the in vitro release study was performed on it. Results: Surprisingly the almond gum had shown controlled release activity on release of diclofenac from tablet with 98.49% steady release over the 12 hr. Conclusion: These findings opened a window for further research application of almond gum as standard release modifier.
Isolation and Physicochemical Characterization of Cellulose from Papaya Leaf Petiole Waste for Nanocarrier Application Ganesh B. Patil, Dipika J. Patil, Piyush S. Bafna, Laxmikant R. Zawar, Vishal S. Bagul, Rakesh E. Mutha Journal of Macromolecular Science Part B Physics, 2025 In present study, cellulose was successfully extracted from papaya leaf petioles and subsequently converted into cellulose crystals (CNCs). The structural, morphological, and physicochemical properties of the CNCs were comprehensively characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis, zeta potential measurement, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The CNCs were investigated as nanocarriers to overcome critical challenges associated with drug delivery, including poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and chemical instability. Naringenin (NAG), a bioactive flavonoid, was successfully encapsulated within CNCs through an optimized solvent composition and processing approach, yielding a NAG-CNCs nanocomposite with an entrapment efficiency of 79%. The encapsulation was confirmed via FTIR, XRD, and DSC analyses. The in vitro dissolution studies demonstrated a significant improvement in drug release kinetics, with 87% of NAG released from the NAG-CNCs complex over 24 h, underscoring the potential of CNCs as an efficient nanocarrier in nano drug delivery.
Encapsulation of Curcumin in Calcium-Crosslinked ι-Carrageenan-Coated Zein Nanoparticles for Enhanced Stability and Controlled Release Shivaji Jadhav, Sopan Nangare, Piyush Bafna, Laxmikant Zawar International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nanotechnology, 2024 Dear Editor,I am writing to express my interest in the recently published research article titled "Calcium ions induced ι-carrageenan-based gel-coating deposited on zein nanoparticles for encapsulating the curcumin" by Ge et al. in Food Chemistry 1. This study presents a novel approach for improving the encapsulation, protection, and controlled release of curcumin using biopolymer nanoparticles.The authors successfully fabricated core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a curcumin-loaded zein core and a calcium cross-linked ι-carrageenan shell. The high encapsulation efficiency (93.2%) and loading capacity (6.2%) indicate that curcumin was effectively encapsulated within the optimized nanoparticles. These particles exhibited relatively small diameters (351.8 nm) and effectively delayed the light and thermal degradation of curcumin. Furthermore, the encapsulated curcumin was released in a sustained manner under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, which may enhance its oral bioavailability.The authors characterized the nanoparticles using various techniques, including dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier Transform infrared analysis. These analyses provided insights into the size, charge, morphology, and molecular interactions involved in particle formation. The findings of this study have significant implications for the development of novel delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactive compounds. The calcium carrageenan-coated zein nanoparticles have the potential to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery of curcumin and other similar compounds.In conclusion, this research article presents an innovative approach for encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release of curcumin using biopolymer nanoparticles 1. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of nano-enabled delivery systems and may inspire further research in this area.
Biodegradable polymer in medical implants and devices Handbook of Biodegradable Polymers Applications in Biomedical Sciences Industry and the Environment, 2024
Microwave generated solid dispersion of repaglinide with novel natural carrier modified gum kondagogu Indian Drugs, 2015
Solubility and dissolution enhancement of poorly water soluble glimepiride by using solid dispersion technique International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2012