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Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Bacterial Cellulose Spheres that Encapsulate Solid Materials
Published on: February 26, 2021
Topical Drug Delivery Systems Based on Bacterial Nanocellulose: Accelerated Stability Testing
Nuno H C S Silva1, Joana P Mota2, Tânia Santos de Almeida2
1CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membranes show excellent long-term storage stability for topical drug delivery. These biocompatible membranes housing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) demonstrated good skin compatibility in human trials.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membranes offer a biocompatible, nanoporous scaffold for drug delivery.
- Their potential for housing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) necessitates stability assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term storage stability of BNC membranes loaded with various APIs.
- To assess the cutaneous compatibility of API-loaded BNC membranes in vivo.
Main Methods:
- BNC membranes loaded with caffeine, lidocaine, ibuprofen, and diclofenac were stored under accelerated conditions (varying temperature and RH).
- Structural integrity, morphology, and drug release profiles were analyzed.
- In vivo cutaneous compatibility studies were performed on human volunteers using caffeine-loaded BNC patches.
Main Results:
- BNC membranes exhibited high stability with no significant changes in structure, morphology, or drug release under tested conditions.
- Increased moisture uptake was observed with higher relative humidity due to BNC's hydrophilic nature.
- Caffeine-loaded BNC membranes showed good cutaneous compatibility in human volunteers.
Conclusions:
- API-loaded BNC membranes possess excellent storage stability, making them promising for topical drug delivery.
- The demonstrated skin compatibility further supports the potential of BNC membranes as dermal delivery systems.
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