Entrapment of Ketorolac Tromethamine in Polymeric Vehicle for Controlled Drug Delivery

The most common method for applying a drug in to the eye is to formulate the drug in the form of an eye drop, but this method is not considered ideal for ocular delivery of drug because of poor bioavailability arising from precorneal loss processes, this loss of drug from the precorneal area is a net effect of drainage, tear secretion and noncorneal absorption. Following the above lead we tried to improve the ocular bioavailability by increasing the corneal contact time and the feasible way was to formulate a drug with mucoadhesive/viscosity imparting agents. The adhesive strength of various polymers on corneal surface was studied with the help of self modified Franz diffusion cell and freshly excised goat/bovine cornea. The polymers hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, Eudragit type E/RL/RS, Carbopol ETD 2020 and Carbopol 934 National Formulary were formulated with drug, ketorolac tromethamine. The adhesive strength of polymers on corneal surface and permeation characteristics of drug through cornea were investigated by using above said formulations. Eudragit type E/RL/RS did not show any improvement in mucoadhesion, but the formulations containing Carbopol ETD 2020 and Carbopol 934 national formulary showed good mucoadhesion on corneal surface in the concentration as low as 0.75%. The mucoadhesive strength was also evaluated using the combination of Carbopol acrylates/C 10-30 alkylacrylate with allylpentaerithrital and preservative benzalkonium chloride, which also resulted in good mucoadhesion with improved corneal permeation. Observations made in this study indicate the potentiality of the ophthalmic formulations containing mucoadhesive/viscosity imparting agents.     

Porous Biodegradable Microspheres for Controlled Drug Delivery. I. Assessment of Processing Conditions and Solvent Removal Techniques

Microspheres containing methylene blue and prednisolone acetate were prepared by one of three methods: freeze-drying, evaporation, and solvent-extraction-precipitation. An extremely porous structure was obtained by the freeze-dry and solvent-extraction-precipitation procedures. The specific surface area of 6.33-µm particles was 20.6 m²/g, or 35 times that of a particle devoid of pores, and the void space was 59–61%. The sphericity, size, and yields of the microspheres were influenced by the preparation procedure, surfactant type and concentration, temperature of the continuous phase, polymer concentration in the dispersed phase, and ratio of marker to polymer. The most suitable processing conditions were a polymer concentration of 5–10%, a marker loading of 10%, 0.1% sorbitan sesquioleate as the surfactant, and temperature adjustment of the continuous phase from 15 to 50°C following the addition of the dispersed phase. Complete release of the highly water soluble methylene blue occurred within 72 hr, while the less soluble prednisolone acetate released much more slowly, i.e., 90% after 7 days. The microspheres remained relatively intact during the in vitro release of methylene blue, confirming that the incorporated agent was confined to the walls of the porous network. Collapse of the polymer structure was evident after 7 days. The release therefore was believed to be governed principally by the solubility of the drug and the porosity of the matrix.     

In Vitro Evaluation of Calcium Pectinate: A Potential Colon-Specific Drug Delivery Carrier

Calcium pectinate (CaP)—the insoluble salt of pectin—can potentially be used as a colon-specific drug delivery system. The use of CaP as a carrier was based on the assumption that, like pectin, it can be decomposed by specific pectinolytic enzymes in the colon but that it retains its integrity in the physiological environment of the small bowel. The biodegradation of the carrier was characterized by monitoring the percent cumulative release of the insoluble drug indomethacin, incorporated into pectin or CaP matrices. Compressed tablets of pectin and indomethacin were analyzed for degradation in the presence of Pectinex 3XL, a typical pectinolytic enzyme mixture, and in the presence of the human colonic bacterium Bacteroides ovatus. The degradation of CaP-indomethacin tablets was assessed in the presence of Pectinex 3XL and in rat cecal contents. The release of indomethacin was significantly increased (end-time percentage cumulative release vs control) in the presence of Pectinex 3XL (89 ± 20 vs 16 ± 2 for CaP tablets), Bacteroides ovatus (12 and 22 vs 5.2 for pectin tablets), and rat cecal contents (61 ± 16 vs 4.9 ± 1.1 for CaP tablets). The weight loss of tablet mass was significantly higher (end-time dry weight vs control) in the presence of Pectinex 3XL (0 vs 75 ± 6% of initial weight for CaP tablets). These findings indicate the potential of CaP, compressed into tablets with insoluble drug, to serve as a specific drug delivery system to the colon.     

难溶性药物盐酸奈必洛尔口服自微乳化给药系统的制备以及体外评价

目的 制备盐酸奈必洛尔(hydrochloride,NBH)自微乳化给药系统(self-microemulsifying drug delivery system,SMEDDS),并进行体外评价。方法 通过测定NBH在不同油相、表面活性剂和助表面活性剂中的溶解度以及运用伪三元相图对空白自微乳化的处方组成进行确定,使用星点设计-效应面法对处方用量进行筛选和优化,并加入过量NBH原料药对该处方的载药量进行确定。结果 NBH-SMEDDS处方组成为中链甘油三酸酯∶辛酸癸酸聚乙二醇甘油酯∶二乙二醇单乙基醚=20∶48∶32,该处方的载药量为20.05 mg,该处方的粒径、自乳化时间、粒径分布范围符合预测值,溶出度试验显示,NBH-SMEDDS在介质中溶出度的整体趋势对比NBH粉末和NBH普通片有一定的提升,在1,2,3月的加速条件下稳定性良好。结论 SMEDDS可用于提高NBH的体外溶出度,且稳定性良好。     

Osteotropic Drug Delivery System (ODDS) Based on Bisphosphonic Prodrug. I: Synthesis and in Vivo Characterization of Osteotropic Carboxyfluorescein

Abstract

An osteotropic drug delivery system (ODDS) based on a bisphosphonic prodrug was designed as a novel method for site-specific and controlled delivery of drugs to the bone. Due to the chemical adsorption of bisphosphonic promoiety to the mineral component, hydroxyapatite, a bisphosphonic prodrug is predominantly taken up into the bone. To verify the concept, bisphosphonic promoiety was chemically introduced into 6-carboxyfluorescein (CF) as a model compound and the disposition after intravenous injection was studied in rats. The bisphosphonic prodrug of CF, disodium (fluorescein-6-carbonyloxy) acetoaminomethylene bisphosphonate (CF-BP) was highly taken up to the skeleton (62.1% of dose) and the remainder was excreted into the urine (35.9% of dose). Subsequently, regeneration of CF by hydrolysis of CF-BP in the bone was observed. The microscopic observation showed that CF-BP was buried into the bone with a calcification of the bone. According to the remodeling of the bone, bisphosphonic prodrug buried was supposed to be released in the vicinity of the osteoclast or resorption surface of the bone. Thus, it is suggested that ODDS has a potential to achieve osteoclast-speciftc or resorption surface-specific targeting of the drugs.     

A Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System for Enhancing the Oral Bioavailability of Candesartan Cilexetil: Ex Vivo and In Vivo Evaluation

The drug delivery of candesartan cilexetil encounters an obstacle of low absolute oral bioavailability which is attributed mainly to its low aqueous solubility and efflux by intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transporters. However, the extent of P-gp contribution in the reduced oral bioavailability of candesartan cilexetil is not clear. In this study, a previously developed candesartan cilexetil–loaded self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was evaluated for its ability to increase the drug oral bioavailability via the inhibition of intestinal P-gp transporters. Despite the developed SNEDDS showing P-gp inhibition activity, P-gp–mediated efflux was found to have a minor role in the reduced oral bioavailability of candesartan cilexetil. On the other hand, the high surfactant concentration used in SNEDDS formulation represents a major challenge toward their widespread application especially for chronically administered drugs. The designed acute and subacute toxicity studies revealed that the degree of intestinal mucosal damage decreases as the treatment period increases. The latter observation was attributed to the reversibility of surfactant-induced mucosal damage. Thus, the developed SNEDDS could be considered as a promising delivery system for enhancing the oral bioavailability of chronically administered drugs.