Molecular interactions of hydrated co-amorphous systems of prilocaine and lidocaine.

It is generally accepted that water as a plasticizer can decrease the glass transition temperatures (Tgs) of amorphous drugs and drug excipient systems. However, previous studies suggest that water, as an anti-plasticizer, can increase the Tgs of co-amorphous systems of prilocaine (PRL) and lidocaine (LID). In order to investigate the intermolecular interactions between water and co-amorphous PRL-LID systems, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were conducted. Water was found to bind with the carbonyl groups of PRL and LID molecularly evenly in the hydrated co-amorphous PRL-LID systems. Quantum chemical simulations visually confirmed the interactions between water and co-amorphous PRL-LID systems. Furthermore, the physical stability of hydrated co-amorphous PRL-LID systems was improved due to the anti-plasticizing effect of water, compared with the anhydrous samples. The preference of water to interact with the carbonyl groups of PRL and LID as binding sites could be associated with the anti-plasticizing effect of water on the co-amorphous PRL-LID systems.

Structural elucidation of amino amide-type local anesthetic drugs and their main metabolites in urine by LC-MS after derivatization and its application for differentiation between positional isomers of prilocaine.

The demand for clinical toxicology analytical methods for identifying drugs of abuse and medicinal drugs is steadily increasing. Structural elucidation of amino amide-type local anesthetic drugs and their main metabolites by GC-EI-MS and LC-ESI-MS/MS is of great analytical challenge. These compounds exhibit only/mostly fragments/product ions representing the amine-containing residue, while the aromatic amide moiety remains unidentified. This task becomes even more complicated when discrimination between positional isomers of such compounds is required. Here, we report the development of a derivatization procedure for the differentiation and structural elucidation of a mixture of local anesthetic drugs and their metabolites that possess tertiary and secondary amines in water and urine. A method based on two sequential "in-vial" instantaneous derivatization processes at ambient temperature followed by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis was developed. 2,2,2-Trichloro-1,1-dimethylethyl chloroformate (TCDMECF) was utilized to selectively convert the secondary amines into their carbamate derivatives, followed by hydrogen peroxide addition to produce the corresponding tertiary amine oxides. The resulting derivatives exhibited rich fragmentation patterns, enabling improved structural elucidation of the original compounds. The developed method was successfully applied to the differentiation and structural elucidation of prilocaine and its four positional isomers, which all possess similar GC and LC retention times and four of them exhibit almost identical EI-MS and ESI-MS/MS spectra, enabling their structural elucidation in a single LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The developed technique is fast and simple and enables discrimination between isomers based on different diagnostic ions/fragmentation patterns.

Development of Optical Sensors Based on Quantum Dots Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Determination of Prilocaine.

Optical sensors are analytical tools that able to provide analyte information. There are several ways to design optical sensors. This chapter presents an interesting optical sensor to detect prilocaine, a medicine, using quantum dots (QDs) combined with molecularly imprinted polymers (QDs@MIPs). This sensor simultaneously takes advantage of QDs and molecular imprinting technology, which enables the optical device to measure prilocaine with high selectivity and sensitivity. To prepare the optical sensor, CdTe QDs were used as fluorescent probes, and an imprinted silica polymer, as the recognition system, has been constructed on the QDs via sol-gel process to increase sensor selectivity.

Sustained delivery of prilocaine and lidocaine using depot microemulsion system: in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo animal studies.

Topical drug delivery for local anesthetics has been an interesting area of research for formulators considering the resistance and barrier properties of skin and high clearance rate of drugs like prilocaine and lidocaine (duration of action < 2.5 h). In this study, efforts have been made to sustain the release of prilocaine and lidocaine by using depot microemulsion system. Drug loaded microemulsions were formulated using Capmul MCM, Pluronic F127, polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200) and water from pseudo-ternary diagrams. The Smix at 1:4 ratio showed larger microemulsion area in comparison to 1:2 ratio. The ex-vivo studies indicate sustained release of prilocaine and lidocaine from the microemulsion up to 8 h, in comparison to 4 h with ointments. Skin irritation study on rabbits confirmed the safety of drug loaded microemulsions for local drug delivery. The improved ex vivo data is reflected in the in vivo studies, were radiant heat tail-flick test and sciatic nerve model showed prolong duration of action for both prilocaine and lidocaine microemulsions in comparison to ointment. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy of prilocaine and lidocaine was non-significant. The improved efficacy was due to high penetration of microemulsion and depot effect due to local precipitation (destabilization of microemulsion) of drug in the skin layer. The sustained local anesthetic effect is highly desirable for the treatment of skin irritation due to skin burns and pre- and post-operative pain.

Tuning molecular dynamics by hydration and confinement: antiplasticizing effect of water in hydrated prilocaine nanoclusters.

In glass-forming substances, the addition of water tends to produce the effect of lowering the glass transition temperature, Tg. In a previous work by some of us (Ruiz et al., Sci. Rep., 2017, 7, 7470) we reported on a rare anti-plasticizing effect of water on the molecular dynamics of a simple molecular system, the pharmaceutically active prilocaine molecule, for which the addition of water leads to an increase of Tg. In the present work, we study pure and hydrated prilocaine confined in 0.5 nm and 1 nm pore size molecular sieves, and carry out a comparison with the bulk compounds in order to gain a better understanding of the microscopic mechanisms that result in this rare effect. We find that the Tg of the drug under nanometric confinement can be lower than the bulk value by as much as 17 K. Through the concurrent use of differential scanning calorimetry and broadband dielectric spectroscopy we are able to observe the antiplasticizing effect of water in prilocaine also under nanometric confinement, finding an increase of Tg of up to almost 6 K upon hydration. The extension of our analysis to nanoconfined systems provides a plausible explanation for the very uncommon antiplasticizing effect, based on the formation of water-prilocaine molecular complexes. Moreover, this study deepens the understanding of the behavior of drugs under confinement, which is of relevance not only from a fundamental point of view, but also for practical applications such as drug delivery.

Effect of electrostatic interactions on the relaxation dynamics of pharmaceutical eutectics.

In this paper, we investigate the temperature-dependent relaxation dynamics in the glassy and supercooled liquid state of dipolar and ionic eutectic mixtures made of two anesthetic agents (lidocaine and prilocaine) and their hydrochloride salts, respectively. In addition to eutectic phases containing 1:1 and 4:1 mol/mol of LD/PRL and LD-HCl/PRL-HCl, respectively, the relaxation properties of non-eutectic compositions and parent compounds are also studied. We found that electrostatic long-range forces determine strongly the dielectric and mechanical response of eutectic material. As a result of Coulomb interactions between ion pairs, an additional ß-relaxation mode was found in the dielectric spectra of glassy LD-HCl/PRL-HCl mixtures. On the other hand, the studies of relaxation dynamics of ionic and non-ionic mixtures at T > Tg revealed a continuous decrease of both fragility mP and the length scale of dynamic heterogeneity NαB(Tg), with simultaneous growth of Tg, when the electrostatics forces appear. At the same time, we found the charge transport being decoupled from structural dynamics in all studied ionic binary mixtures that is due to the fast proton hopping. However, the efficiency of proton transport is dropping down with an increase of Tg.

Hybrid Hydrogel Composed of Polymeric Nanocapsules Co-Loading Lidocaine and Prilocaine for Topical Intraoral Anesthesia.

This study reports the development of nanostructured hydrogels for the sustained release of the eutectic mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine (both at 2.5%) for intraoral topical use. The local anesthetics, free or encapsulated in poly(ε-caprolactone) nanocapsules, were incorporated into CARBOPOL hydrogel. The nanoparticle suspensions were characterized in vitro in terms of particle size, polydispersity, and surface charge, using dynamic light scattering measurements. The nanoparticle concentrations were determined by nanoparticle tracking analysis. Evaluation was made of physicochemical stability, structural features, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release kinetics. The CARBOPOL hydrogels were submitted to rheological, accelerated stability, and in vitro release tests, as well as determination of mechanical and mucoadhesive properties, in vitro cytotoxicity towards FGH and HaCaT cells, and in vitro permeation across buccal and palatal mucosa. Anesthetic efficacy was evaluated using Wistar rats. Nanocapsules were successfully developed that presented desirable physicochemical properties and a sustained release profile. The hydrogel formulations were stable for up to 6 months under critical conditions and exhibited non-Newtonian pseudoplastic flows, satisfactory mucoadhesive strength, non-cytotoxicity, and slow permeation across oral mucosa. In vivo assays revealed higher anesthetic efficacy in tail-flick tests, compared to a commercially available product. In conclusion, the proposed hydrogel has potential for provision of effective and longer-lasting superficial anesthesia at oral mucosa during medical and dental procedures. These results open perspectives for future clinical trials.

The effect of electrostatic interactions on the formation of pharmaceutical eutectics.

Over the past decade, the formation of pharmaceutical eutectics has become a very attractive strategy to increase the bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). A great advantage of a eutectic phase, which can be obtained by simple physical mixing of solid materials, is the possibility to obtain a material with desired physicochemical properties only by varying the molar ratio of the parent components. In this work, we have investigated the ability of two protic ionic liquids (PILs), which are hydrochloride salts of lidocaine and prilocaine, as well as their non-ionic counterparts, to form eutectic mixtures. To gain an insight into the calorimetric properties of the formed dipolar and ionic mixtures, differential scanning calorimetry was employed. The mechanism of formation of deep eutectic mixtures on the molecular level was investigated by ab initio quantum mechanics calculations. The effect of electrostatic interactions on the eutectic transition, glass forming ability and the physical stability of pharmaceutical eutectics was also revealed.

Improving the therapeutic efficacy of prilocaine by PLGA microparticles: Preparation, characterization and in vivo evaluation.

A delivery system based on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) polymer (PLGA) microparticles has been developed for parenteral administration of the local anesthetic prilocaine in its free base form. Both drug-free and drug-loaded microparticles, prepared by a double-emulsion-evaporation method, were characterized for mean size by Laser Diffraction Analysis, while their morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The preparation technique allowed obtainment of homogeneous microparticles of about 25 µm diameter, suitable for subcutaneous administration. The encapsulation efficiency, determined by both direct and indirect methods, was around 36-38%. Differential Scanning Calorimetry was used to characterize the solid state of the raw materials, assess drug-polymer compatibility and miscibility and highlight possible modifications of the components induced by the preparation method. In vitro release studies showed a sustained release profile, with about 80% of drug released after the first 24 h. The anesthetic effect of the formulation was evaluated in vivo on rats, according to the test of cutaneous trunci muscle reflex. Administration of prilocaine base as PLGA microparticles allowed to significantly enhance both extent (60% AUC increase) and duration (100% increase) of the anesthetic effect in the animal model, in comparison with the equivalent dose of prilocaine hydrochloride aqueous solution.

Efficacy of anesthetic rice nanogel on pain reduction in human oral cavity.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of two local anesthetic rice nanogels (RNG) on pain reduction from needle insertion in oral cavity. Nanogel base was prepared using modified rice as gelling agent. The average particle size of RNG determined by photon correlation spectrophotometer was 485 ± 70 nm. Lidocaine hydrochloride (LH) and prilocaine hydrochloride (PH) were incorporated into RNG to obtain anesthetic RNG containing 5% and 20% LH or PH. Clinical efficacy test of each gel was performed in oral cavity of 100 healthy volunteers (25-60 years old). Evaluation was done by recording different pain measurements after inserting a needle into buccal mucosa after applying 5% and 20% anesthetic RNG. RNG base (placebo) and commercial anesthetic gels were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. It was found that the pain level in the negative control group was significantly higher than those of the anesthetic groups. Moreover, the pain level of the anesthetic RNG groups were lower than that of the commercial groups, especially in 20% anesthetic groups. For patient's satisfaction, most of the volunteers were appreciated with the anesthetic RNG as well as the commercial gels. They preferred to use high drug content RNG more than those with low drug content or placebo. It can be concluded that the anesthetic RNG has potential clinical efficacy in pain reduction during needle insertion in oral cavity.

PLGA implants: How Poloxamer/PEO addition slows down or accelerates polymer degradation and drug release.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the addition of small amounts of hydrophilic polymers (Poloxamer 188 and PEO 200kDa) to PLGA-based implants loaded with prilocaine. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of the type of preparation technique: direct compression of milled drug-polymer powder blends versus compression of drug loaded microparticles (prepared by spray-drying). The implants were thoroughly characterized before and upon exposure to phosphate buffer pH7.4, e.g. using optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, DSC and GPC. Interestingly, the addition of Poloxamer/PEO to the PLGA implants had opposite effects on the resulting drug release kinetics, depending on the type of preparation method: in the case of implants prepared by compression of milled drug-polymer powder blends, drug release was accelerated, whereas it was slowed down when the implants were prepared by compression of drug loaded PLGA microparticles. These phenomena could be explained by the swelling/disintegration behavior of the implants upon exposure to the release medium. Systems consisting of compressed microparticles remained intact and autocatalytic effects were of major importance. The presence of a hydrophilic polymer facilitated water penetration into these devices, slowing down PLGA degradation and drug release. In contrast, implants consisting of compressed drug-polymer powder blends rapidly (at least partially) disintegrated and autocatalysis was much less important. In these cases, the addition of a hydrophilic polymer facilitated ester bond cleavage, leading to accelerated PLGA degradation and drug release.

Delivery of Thermoresponsive-Tailored Mixed Micellar Nanogel of Lidocaine and Prilocaine with Improved Dermatokinetic Profile and Therapeutic Efficacy in Topical Anaesthesia.

The topical delivery of local anaesthetics has always been a difficult task due to the limited percutaneous absorption of local anaesthetic drugs across the various barriers of the skin. In this pursuit, a thermoresponsive mixed micellar nanogel (MMNG) system of lidocaine and prilocaine has been attempted in the current piece of work. The system relies on the ability to alter its phase state (sol-to-gel) for feasibility of the topical application in response to change in temperature. The composition of MMNG entails majorly of Pluronic® F127 and Tween 80 in a fixed combination so as to provide the desired thermoreversibility for the skin application. The gels were optimized with respect to phase transition temperature (T sol/gel), turbidity and viscosity. The optimized systems were then characterized for particle size, spreadability, syringeability, bioadhesive strength, ex vivo skin permeation, retention and dermatokinetic studies. The skin compatibility revealed that no histological changes were observed for optimized formulation, while the conventional system showed changes in the skin-tissues. Further, the enhanced intensity of anaesthetic effect was noted in an in vivo rabbit model and tail flick model in mice. The overall results suggest that the prepared MMNG system possesses the potential in providing an efficacious, safe and acceptable alternative therapeutic system for topical anaesthesia.

Nanostructured lipid carriers as robust systems for topical lidocaine-prilocaine release in dentistry.

In dental practice, local anesthesia causes pain, fear, and stress, and is frequently the reason that patients abandon treatment. Topical anesthetics are applied in order to minimize the discomfort caused by needle insertion and injection, and to reduce the symptoms of superficial trauma at the oral mucosa, but there are still no efficient commercially available formulations. Factorial design is a multivariate data analysis procedure that can be used to optimize the manufacturing processes of lipid nanocarriers, providing valuable information and minimizing development time. This work describes the use of factorial design to optimize a process for the preparation of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) based on cetyl palmitate and capric/caprylic triglycerides as structural lipids and Pluronic 68 as the colloidal stabilizer, for delivery of the local anesthetics lidocaine and prilocaine (both at 2.5%). The factors selected were the excipient concentrations, and three different responses were followed: particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. The encapsulation efficiency of the most effective formulations (NLC 2, 4, and 6) was evaluated by the ultrafiltration/centrifugation method. The formulations that showed the highest levels of encapsulation were tested using in vitro release kinetics experiments with Franz diffusion cells. The NLC6 formulation exhibited the best sustained release profile, with 59% LDC and 66% PLC released after 20h. This formulation was then characterized using different techniques (IR-ATR, DSC, DRX, TEM, and NTA) to obtain information about its molecular organization and its physicochemical stability, followed during 14months of storage at 25°C. This thorough pre-formulation study represents an important advance towards the development of an efficient pre-anesthetic for use in dentistry.

Phospholipid microemulsion-based hydrogel for enhanced topical delivery of lidocaine and prilocaine: QbD-based development and evaluation.

Topical delivery of local anesthetics has been an area of interest for researchers considering the barrier properties of skin and unfavorable physicochemical properties of drugs. In the present study, efforts have been made to modify the in vivo efficacy of eutectic mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine by exploiting the phospholipid modified microemulsion based delivery systems. The strategic QbD (D-optimal mixture design) enabled systematic optimization approach, after having obtained the isotropic area of interest by ternary phase diagram, has resulted into the system with most desirable attributes. Latter include nano-scale, globular structures with an average size of 40.6 nm, as characterized by TEM and DLS. The optimized microemulsion systems in gel dosage forms revealed the better permeability over commercial cream (CC) through abdominal rat skin. Enhancement in the flux from MOPT-NMP gel was 3.22-folds for prilocaine and 4.94-folds for lidocaine, in comparison to that of CC. This enhanced skin permeability is very well reflected in the in vivo studies, wherein intensity and duration of action was augmented significantly. The skin compliance of the optimized formulation was revealed in histopathological studies. The overall benefit relating to efficacy and safety-compliance could be correlated to the uniqueness of the carriers, composed of phospholipids and other components. Hence, the developed phospholipid-microemulsion based gel formulation has been proposed as more useful alternative for the topical delivery of lidocaine and prilocaine.

Dynamic Properties of Glass-Formers Governed by the Frequency Dispersion of the Structural α-Relaxation: Examples from Prilocaine.

General and fundamental properties of glass-formers of various chemical bonding and physical structures have been found in the recent past. These important findings should be key to gain basic understanding of the dynamics at all time scales leading to glass transition. However, the entirety of these general properties has not been found in a single glass-former. For others to appreciate the importance of these properties, they need to collect the supporting experimental data from different glass-formers scattered over many publications. This hurdle may account for the current lack of universal recognition of the importance of these general properties by the research community. In this paper we present experimental studies of the dynamic processes over a broad range of time scales of a single glass-former, prilocaine. Practically the entire collection of fundamental properties has been found in this system. The advance should heighten the awareness of the importance of these properties in anyone's effort to solve the glass transition problem.

Markedly lowering the viscosity of aqueous solutions of DNA by additives.

Aqueous solutions of DNAs, while relevant in drug delivery and as a target of therapies, are often very viscous making them difficult to use. Since less viscous solutions could enable targeted drug delivery and/or therapies, the purpose of the present work was to explore compounds capable of "thinning" such DNA solutions under pharmaceutically relevant conditions. To this end, viscosities of aqueous solutions of DNAs and model polyanions were examined at 25 °C in the absence and presence of a number of bulky organic salts (and related compounds) previously found to substantially lower the viscosities of concentrated protein solutions. Out of two dozen compounds tested, only three were found to be effective; the FDA-approved local anesthetics lidocaine, mepivacaine, and prilocaine at near-isotonic concentrations and pH 6.4 lowered solution viscosity of three different DNAs up to about 20 fold. The observed multi-fold viscosity reductions appear to be due to these bulky organic salts' structure-specific non-covalent binding to nucleotide bases resulting in denaturation (unwinding) to, and stabilization of, single-stranded DNA.

Biocompatible lidocaine and prilocaine loaded-nanoemulsion system for enhanced percutaneous absorption: QbD-based optimisation, dermatokinetics and in vivo evaluation.

Barrier properties of the skin and physicochemical properties of the drugs are the main hiccups in delivering local anaesthetic molecules topically. The present work endeavours for systematic optimisation and evaluation of nanoemulsions (NEs) of local anaesthetic drugs, lidocaine and prilocaine, employing the systematic approach of Quality by Design. A 3(3) Box-Behnken design was employed for systematic optimisation of the factors obtained from screening studies employing Plackett-Burman design and risk assessment studies. The superior permeation rates, and higher concentrations of the drugs in skin layers from the optimised NE carriers, were achieved in permeation and dermatokinetic studies, when compared to marketed cream. Furthermore, rapid onset of action was demonstrated by the NE system in rabbit eye corneal reflex model and biocompatibility was confirmed from the absence of any marked skin change(s) in the normal skin histology. The developed NE systems demonstrated it as a promising carrier for topical delivery of lidocaine and prilocaine.

Characterization and comparison of lidocaine-tetracaine and lidocaine-camphor eutectic mixtures based on their crystallization and hydrogen-bonding abilities.

Eutectic mixtures formed between active pharmaceutical ingredients and/or excipients provide vast scope for pharmaceutical applications. This study aimed at the exploration of the crystallization abilities of two eutectic mixtures (EM) i.e., lidocaine-tetracaine and lidocaine-camphor (1:1 w/w). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for degradation behavior whereas modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) set in first heating, cooling, and second heating cycles, was used to qualitatively analyze the complex exothermic and endothermic thermal transitions. Raman microspectroscopy characterized vibrational information specific to chemical bonds. Prepared EMs were left at room temperature for 24 h to visually examine their crystallization potentials. The degradation of lidocaine, tetracaine, camphor, lidocaine-tetracaine EM, and lidocaine-camphor EM began at 196.56, 163.82, 76.86, 146.01, and 42.72°C, respectively, which indicated that eutectic mixtures are less thermostable compared to their individual components. The MTDSC showed crystallization peaks for lidocaine, tetracaine, and camphor at 31.86, 29.36, and 174.02°C, respectively (n = 3). When studying the eutectic mixture, no crystallization peak was observed in the lidocaine-tetracaine EM, but a lidocaine-camphor EM crystallization peak was present at 18.81°C. Crystallization occurred in lidocaine-camphor EM after being kept at room temperature for 24 h, but not in lidocaine-tetracaine EM. Certain peak shifts were observed in Raman spectra which indicated possible interactions of eutectic mixture components, when a eutectic mixture was formed. We found that if the components forming a eutectic mixture have crystallization peaks close to each other and have sufficient hydrogen-bonding capability, then their eutectic mixture is least likely to crystallize out (as seen in lidocaine-tetracaine EM) or vice versa (lidocaine-camphor EM).

Guest:host interactions of lidocaine and prilocaine with natural cyclodextrins: spectral and molecular modeling studies.

Inclusion complex formation of two local anesthetics drugs (lidocaine (LC) and prilocaine (PC)) with α- and ß-cyclodextrins (CDs) in aqueous solution were studied by absorption, fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence and molecular modeling methods. The formation of inclusion complexes was confirmed by 1H NMR, FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry, SEM, TEM and X-ray diffractometry. Both drugs formed 1:1 inclusion complex and exhibit biexponential decay in water whereas triexponential decay in the CD solution. Nanosized self-aggregated particles of drug: CD complexes were found by TEM. Both experimental and theoretical studies revealed that the phenyl ring with the amide group of the drug is encapsulated in the hydrophobic CD nanocavity. Investigations of energetic and thermodynamic properties confirmed the stability of the inclusion complexes. van der Waals interactions are mainly responsible for enthalpy driven complex formation of LC and PC with CDs.