S. Y. Cheng

Chitosan microcapsules loaded with either miconazole nitrate or clotrimazole, prepared via emulsion technique.

In this paper, a simple and versatile coacervation technique has been developed by using an ultrasound-assisted oil/water emulsion method for the preparation of antifungal agent-loaded microcapsules. Two types of chitosan microcapsules are successfully prepared. The mean particle size of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules is 2.6 μm and that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules is 4.1 μm. The encapsulation efficiency of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules (77.58-96.81%) is relatively higher than that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules (56.66-93.82%). The in vitro drug release performance of the microcapsules shows that the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules release about 49.5% of the drug while chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules release more than 66.1% of the drug after 12h under a pressure of 5 kg at pH 5.5, which is similar to the pH of human skin. The prepared drug-loaded microcapsules could be applied onto bandages or socks, and will continuously release antifungal drugs in a controlled manner under pressure.

Development of Cosmetic Textiles Using Microencapsulation Technology

In recent years, textile materials have been found in applications in the cosmetics field. A new sector of cosmetic textiles is introduced and several commercial cosmetic textile products are currently available in the market. On contact with human body and skin, cosmetic textiles are designed to transfer an active substance for cosmetic purposes. The principle is achieved by simply imparting the cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients into the fabric of clothing so that with the natural movement of the body, the skin is slowly freshened and revitalised. Microencapsulation technology is an effective technique used to control the release properties of active ingredients that prolong the functionality of cosmetic textiles. This paper will address the historical background of microencapsulation technology, its significant advantages and the most commonly used microencapsulation methods. Some typical examples of commercially available microencapsulation based cosmetic textile products will also be examined. R...

Systematic Characterization of Cosmetic Textiles

In this study, the commercially available cosmetic textile agent containing aloe vera for skin caring benefits was used for the development of cosmetic textiles. The empirical characterization model comprising three major categories, namely (1) material characterization and ingredient identification, (2) fabric performance testing, and (3) biological safety and biological response to human skin, was established to characterize the cosmetic textile agent and the developed cosmetic textiles. This systematic characterization model is expected to provide a guideline for commercial sectors and researchers to identify and evaluate the performance of cosmetic textile agents and cosmetic textiles in a safety and objective manner.

Synthesis, characterization and preliminary analysis of in vivo biological activity of chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules

The use of chitosan as the wall of microcapsule designed for delivery of encapsulated celecoxib is reported. Microcapsules were characterised with respect to size and encapsulation efficiency of celecoxib. In vivo animals demonstrated that both free celecoxib administration and chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules administration lead to a significant inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression in the hepatocytes when compared with vehicle control mice. Interestingly, microcapsule containing celecoxib showed a better inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression when compared with a simple oral administration of free celecoxib. Gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry analysis showed that in mice treated with free celecoxib or chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules, their plasma concentration of celecoxib was similar. Microcapsules-based biomaterials as oral drug delivery vehicles may help to improve the absorption efficiency of therapeutic drugs.

Evaluation of keratin fibre damages

This paper investigated the effect of three different treatments, namely: (i) sunlight (simulated by Xenon light) exposures, (ii) bleaching and (iii) perming on the damage of keratin fibre (with the use human hair). Four different testing methods were applied to quantify the hair damages. On evaluating the test results, it was concluded that the bleaching process imparted the most severe damaging action for hair. The results of the different test methods were evaluated and discussed.

Development of miconazole nitrate containing chitosan microcapsules and their anti-Aspergillus niger activity

In this article, we report the development of chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules. Four miconazole nitrate ratios including 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg were performed in the chitosan-based microencapsulation system. Chitosan microcapsules with the drug input of 25 mg showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (52.47%) and acceptable mean particle size (5.65 µm) when compared with those of 12.5, 50 and 100 mg. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic spectrum proved the entrapment of miconazole nitrate into chitosan microcapsules. The antifungal result demonstrated that microcapsules containing 75 µg miconazole nitrate possessed comparable anti-Aspergillus niger activity as the commercial ointment. The growth inhibition of miconazole nitrate containing chitosan microcapsules towards human skin keratinocytes was found to be dose dependent. A total of 75 µg of miconazole nitrate containing microcapsules revealed about 25% of growth inhibition while that of 150 µg showed approximately 70% of growth inhibition. Special monitoring should be taken if a higher dose of miconazole nitrate was used to develop the microcapsules.

Polyester metallisation with electroless silver plating process

In this paper, electroless silver plating process for polyester was reported. The electroless silver plating is basically divided into four stages including pre-cleaning, sensitisation, electroless silver deposition and post-treatment. As the electroless silver plating stage is the key stage in affecting the brilliant appearance and various functional properties such as conductivity and ultra-violet protection, we will study the effect of process variables, i.e. amount of silver nitrate (AgNO3), concentration of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and process temperature, using increased amount of silver in fabric surface as an indicator, for optimising the electroless silver plating process for possible industrial application. Experimental results revealed that amount of silver nitrate (AgNO3)=1.77×10−3 mole; concentration of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH)=6.25 %; concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH)=0.008 g/ml and process temperature=25 °C can give the best electroless silver plating for polyester fabric. The surface characteristics of the electroless silver-plated polyester fabric were evaluated by scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Meanwhile, the performance properties of the electroless silver-plated polyester fabric were measured by CIE L*, a* and b* values, conductivity as well as ultraviolet protection. The experimental results would be discussed thoroughly in this paper.

Chitosan/Clotrimazole microcapsules for Tinea pedis treatment: in-vitro antifungal and cytotoxicity study

To derive a form of treatment for Tinea pedis (also known as athlete’s foot), an attempt has been made to synthesize chitosan microcapsules that contain an antifungal agent using a coacervation technique. The antifungal agent, namely, clotrimazole, is encapsulated in different amounts: 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg. Optical and scanning electron microscopies demonstrate that the newly developed microcapsules have spherical core–shell forms with smooth surfaces and the particle sizes range from 2 to 10 μm. It is observed that chitosan microcapsules with a drug input of 25 mg clotrimazole show the highest encapsulation efficiency when compared with microcapsules that have 50, 75, and 100 mg of drug input. An analysis of the in vitro antifungal activity confirms that the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules show obvious inhibition of Trichophyton rubrum growth. The cytotoxicity results show that the newly developed microcapsules are non-cytotoxic to skin cell lines. The prepared drug-loaded microcapsules could be applied onto bandages or socks, and will continuously release antifungal drugs in a controlled manner under pressure.

Effect of Hair Damage on Colour Uptake and Colour Fastness

Furthering our previous study on damage to hair, this paper investigates the effects of three different hair damaging treatments on colouration effects with an oxidizing semi-permanent colourant. The three damaging treatments are (i) sunlight (simulated by Xenon light), (ii) perming and (iii) bleaching. The colour uptake was evaluated differently with a conventional method by CIE L*a*b* system of equation. In addition, the colour fastness properties of coloured hair to different simulated daily activities, such as (i) hair washing, (ii) hair perming, (iii) sunlight exposure and (iv) swimming in sea water were also examined. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that hair treatment with bleaching can improve colouring performance because melanin is eliminated from hair. At the same time, the colour fastness properties of coloured hair under different colour fastness testing conditions becomes worse with respect to the increasing degree of damaging treatment

Analysis of Keratin Fibre Damage under Various Surface Treatment Conditions

This paper investigates the effect of three different treatments, namely (i) sunlight exposures, (ii) bleaching and (iii) perming on the damage of the keratin fibres (with the use of human hair). Scanning electron microscopy was applied to examine the surface morphology of the samples. Hair samples appeared to be rougher and their scales diminished after the treatments. The degree of colour change of samples was measured using a diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. All three different treatments caused a certain degree of colour change on the samples. Urea bisulphite solubility test was also employed to investigate the alkaline damage of samples. The results illustrated that the urea bisulphite solubility of samples conformably decreased when they were subject to these three types of treatments. With respect to the tensile strength property, the results indicate that the breaking load of treated samples decreased dramatically after undergoing three different types of treatments. On evaluating the test results, it was concluded that the bleaching process imparted the most severe damages to hair. The results of the different test methods were evaluated and discussed.