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Advances in Ionic Liquids and Their Pharmaceutical Applications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4842

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
LAQV, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto University, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, No. 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Interests: biocatalysis; enzymes; GUMBOS; ionic liquids; nanoparticles; flow chemistry; sequential injection analysis; lab-on-valve

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LAQV, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto University, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, No. 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Interests: ionic liquids; GUMBOS; Nano(GUMBOS); Active pharmaceutical ingredients; probes; biocatalysis; enzyme kinetics; nanozymes; biomarkers; automatization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interest in ionic liquids for pharmaceutical applications has been growing over time. Due to their tunable Physico-chemical and biological properties, they can be explored as reaction media for the synthetic routes of both known and novel drugs, as part of distinct drug delivery systems for drugs with reduced bioavailability, and as biological active compounds explored to form active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Additionally, to promote the acceptance of these compounds by the pharmaceutical industry, some aspects such as pharmaceutical efficiency, human toxicity, environmental impact and biodegradability must be explored. Thus, papers providing this kind of information are welcomed to the Special Issue “Advances in Ionic Liquids and Their Pharmaceutical Applications”. It is intended that they contribute to the improvement of the acknowledgment of the use of ionic liquids in pharmaceutical applications and open interesting perspectives regarding the future utilization of these compounds and their role in the new therapeutic options.

Dr. Marieta L.C. Passos
Dr. Maria Lúcia M.F. Sousa Saraiva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ionic liquid
  • active pharmaceutical ingredient
  • drug delivery
  • human toxicity
  • environmental impact
  • pharmaceutical industry
  • pharmaceutical efficiency

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4361 KiB  
Article
Fluoroquinolone-Based Organic Salts (GUMBOS) with Antibacterial Potential
by Fábio M. S. Costa, Andreia Granja, Rocío L. Pérez, Isiah M. Warner, Salette Reis, Marieta L. C. Passos and M. Lúcia M. F. S. Saraiva
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15714; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242115714 - 28 Oct 2023
Viewed by 983
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic considered a public health concern worldwide. Strategic therapies are needed to replace antibacterials that are now ineffective. One approach entails the use of well-known antibacterials along with adjuvants that possess non-antibiotic properties but can extend the lifespan [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic considered a public health concern worldwide. Strategic therapies are needed to replace antibacterials that are now ineffective. One approach entails the use of well-known antibacterials along with adjuvants that possess non-antibiotic properties but can extend the lifespan and enhance the effectiveness of the treatment, while also improving the suppression of resistance. In this regard, a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) presents an alternative to this problem allowing the combination of antibacterials with adjuvants. Fluoroquinolones are a family of antibacterials used to treat respiratory and urinary tract infections with broad-spectrum activity. Ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin-based GUMBOS were synthesized via anion exchange reactions with lithium and sodium salts. Structural characterization, thermal stability and octanol/water partition ratios were evaluated. The antibacterial profiles of most GUMBOS were comparable to their cationic counterparts when tested against Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli, except for deoxycholate anion, which demonstrated the least effective antibacterial activity. Additionally, some GUMBOS were less cytotoxic to L929 fibroblast cells and non-hemolytic to red blood cells. Therefore, these agents exhibit promise as an alternative approach to combining drugs for treating infections caused by resistant bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ionic Liquids and Their Pharmaceutical Applications)
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10 pages, 1718 KiB  
Article
Therapeutic Liquid Eutectic Solvents in Lipid Nanoparticles as Drug Vehicles—A Proof of Concept
by Joana Gonçalves, Cláudia Marques, Cláudia Nunes and Mafalda Sarraguça
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15648; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242115648 - 27 Oct 2023
Viewed by 763
Abstract
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterial complex Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite the decline in the incidence and mortality of this disease over the years, the emergence of new strains of tuberculosis resistant to existing tuberculostatic drugs is currently one of [...] Read more.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterial complex Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite the decline in the incidence and mortality of this disease over the years, the emergence of new strains of tuberculosis resistant to existing tuberculostatic drugs is currently one of the largest public health problems. The engineering and development of new drugs is a complex process; therefore, the modification and enhancement of the drugs already marked is a better and faster solution. Ethambutol (ETB) is an antimycobacterial drug used to treat tuberculosis; however, it is highly hygroscopic and is sparingly soluble in water. Therapeutic Deep Eutectic Solvents (THEDESs) are known to improve drug solubility, permeability, and hygroscopicity, among others. In this study, three THEDESs of ETB were synthesized with sucralose, glucose and glycerol and then encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers to improve their stability. This work is a proof of concept on the possibility of encapsulating the THEDESs, and results show that the encapsulation of ETB is possible, yielding formulations with a loading capacity superior to 8.5% and able to incorporate THEDESs and not just ETB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ionic Liquids and Their Pharmaceutical Applications)
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19 pages, 2839 KiB  
Article
Betaine- and L-Carnitine-Based Ionic Liquids as Solubilising and Stabilising Agents for the Formulation of Antimicrobial Eye Drops Containing Diacerein
by Brunella Grassiri, Andrea Mezzetta, Giuseppantionio Maisetta, Chiara Migone, Angela Fabiano, Semih Esin, Lorenzo Guazzelli, Ylenia Zambito, Giovanna Batoni and Anna Maria Piras
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2714; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24032714 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2608
Abstract
The therapeutic efficacy of topically administered drugs, however powerful, is largely affected by their bioavailability and, thus, ultimately, on their aqueous solubility and stability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as functional excipients to solubilise, [...] Read more.
The therapeutic efficacy of topically administered drugs, however powerful, is largely affected by their bioavailability and, thus, ultimately, on their aqueous solubility and stability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as functional excipients to solubilise, stabilise, and prolong the ocular residence time of diacerein (DIA) in eye drop formulations. DIA is a poorly soluble and unstable anthraquinone prodrug, rapidly hydrolysed to rhein (Rhe), for the treatment of osteoarthritis. DIA has recently been evaluated as an antimicrobial agent for bacterial keratitis. Two ILs based on natural zwitterionic compounds were investigated: L-carnitine C6 alkyl ester bromide (Carn6), and betaine C6 alkyl ester bromide (Bet6). The stabilising, solubilising, and mucoadhesive properties of ILs were investigated, as well as their cytotoxicity to the murine fibroblast BALB/3T3 clone A31 cell line. Two IL–DIA-based eye drop formulations were prepared, and their efficacy against both Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined. Finally, the eye drops were administered in vivo on New Zealand albino rabbits, testing their tolerability as well as their elimination and degradation kinetics. Both Bet6 and Carn6 have good potential as functional excipients, showing solubilising, stabilising, mucoadhesive, and antimicrobial properties; their in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo ocular tolerability pave the way for their future use in ophthalmic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ionic Liquids and Their Pharmaceutical Applications)
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