Squarticles as Nanoantidotes to Sequester Overdosed Antidepressants for Detoxification

The 2017 study explored the effectiveness of lipid nanoemulsions called squarticles in detoxifying the body from an overdose of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline. Anionic squarticles, with an average diameter of 97 nm, were found to be particularly effective, sequestering 40%-50% of the drug and demonstrating a strong interaction (K=28,700) compared to cationic squarticles (K=5,010). In vivo experiments on rats showed that anionic squarticles increased plasma drug concentration by 2.5 times, reduced drug uptake in organs, normalized mean arterial pressure, and improved survival rates from 25% to 75%. The study concluded that anionic squarticles are promising nanoantidotes for amitriptyline intoxication, capable of extracting and eliminating the drug from the body. The study involved ten rats for pharmacokinetics and biodistribution experiments and twelve rats for survival rate monitoring.