Exploring Potential of Nano-formulations in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease through Nasal Route.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, severely impacts cognitive function and daily living. The current treatment provides only symptomatic relief, and thus, disease-modifying therapies targeting underlying causes are needed. Although several potential therapies are in various stages of clinical trials, bringing a new Alzheimer's drug to market remains challenging. Hence, researchers are also exploring monoclonal antibodies, tau protein inhibitors, and anti-inflammatory drugs as treatment options. Conventionally designed dosage forms come with limitations like poor absorption, first-pass metabolism, and low bioavailability. They also cause systemic adverse effects because these designed systems do not provide target- specific drug delivery. Thus, in this review, the authors highlighted the current advancements in the development of intranasal nanoformulations for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This strategy of delivering anti-Alzheimer drugs through the nasal route may help to target the drug exactly to the brain, achieve rapid onset of action, avoid first-pass metabolism, and reduce the side effects and dose required for administration. CONCLUSION: Delivering drugs to the brain through the nasal route for treating Alzheimer's disease is crucial due to the limited efficacy of existing treatments and the profound impact of the disease on patients and their families. Thus, by exploring innovative approaches such as nose-to-brain drug delivery, it is possible to improve the quality of life for individuals living with Alzheimer's and alleviate its societal burden.

Development and Validation of Stability Indicating RP-HPLC Method for the Estimation of Glycopyrrolate and Neostigmine in Bulk and Injection.

A stability indicating RP-HPLC method is suggested for determination of Glycopyrrolate-Neostigmine (GLY/NEO) in bulk drugs and injection formulation. GLY/NEO were eluted from a Chromolith High Resolution RP-18e (100 mm×4.6 mm) with buffer solution (pH 3.0) as mobile phase A and a mixture of HPLC grade acetonitrile and water mixture (90:10) as mobile phase B. The gradient was optimized with a flowrate of 0.5 mL/min and wavelength of 222 nm. A complete analytical method validation was effectively carried out as per ICH Q2 (R1) guidelines. Recovery studies were performed at 50-150% level of working concentrations, and results were in the range of 99-101%. The linearity was detected in the range of LOQ to 200% of the specification limits i.e., 0.5% each for NEO and GLY, 0.01% for NEO Impurity B and 1.0% for rest of the impurities with respect to the test concentration of the respective components. For stability study, various stress conditions such as acid, base, oxidation and thermal as per ICH guidelines were studied. The high recovery and low relative standard deviation confirm the suitability of proposed method that can be employed for the routine analysis in bulk and pharmaceutical formulation.

Chitosan as excellent bio-macromolecule with myriad of anti-activities in biomedical applications - A review.

The aim of the study is to explore the myriad of anti-activities of chitosan - deacylated derivative of chitin in biomedical applications. Chitosan consists of reactive residual amino groups, which can be modified chemically to obtain wide range of derivatives. These derivatives exhibit the controlled physicochemical characteristics, which in turn improve its functional properties. Such derivatives find numerous applications in the field of biomedical science, agriculture, tissue engineering, bone regeneration and environmental science. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the multifarious anti-activities of chitosan and its derivatives in the field of biomedical science including anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-HIV, anti-fungal, anti- inflammatory, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic activity. It briefly details these anti-activities with respect to its mode of action, pharmacological effects and potential applications. It also presents the overview of current research exploring novel derivatives of chitosan and its anti- activities in the recent past. Finally, the review projects the prospective potential of chitosan and its derivatives and expects to encourage the readers to develop new drug delivery systems based on such chitosan derivatives and explore its applications in biomedical science for benefit of mankind.

Experimental measurement - correlation of solubility and dissolution thermodynamics study of itraconazole in pure monosolvents at various temperatures.

The information about the solubility and thermodynamic properties of solution is important for pharmaceutically important processes, formulation development, and further theoretical studies. In the present study, the solid-liquid equilibrium (solubility) for itraconazole (ITC) was determined experimentally in 14 monosolvents at temperatures between 293.15 K and 318.15 K under pressure of 0.1 MPa. The mole fraction solubilities were found to increase with increasing temperatures and followed inverse trend with the polarity of selected solvents. Besides, KAT-LSER analysis was performed to study the effect of solvent. The results revealed that the solute-solvent interaction (43.94%) was much higher than that of solvent-solvent interaction (16.59%). Thermodynamic based models like van't Hoff equation, modified Apelblat equation, Buchowski-Ksiazaczak equation, and polynomial empirical equation were applied to fit and correlate the experimental solubilities. Overall relative average deviation (RAD) and overall root-mean square deviation (104×RMSD) were observed to be minimum with the empirical polynomial equation and attained the values of 0.0033 and 0.0047, respectively. Furthermore, theoretical ideal solubilities, activity coefficients, and thermodynamic properties of dissolution including molar enthalpy, molar entropy, molar Gibbs free energy, and excess enthalpy were estimated. Ideal solubilities were projected considerably higher than experimental solubilities at each studied temperature. Thermodynamic properties of dissolution indicated that the dissolution was not a spontaneous process; observed to be endothermic (ΔH0soln>0) and enthalpy driven (ΔS0soln>0). Such solid-liquid equilibrium data of ITC will be of immense help in process and formulation development in pharmaceutical sciences.

Extended Hildebrand Solubility Approach: Prediction and Correlation of the Solubility of Itraconazole in Triacetin: Water Mixtures at 298.15°K.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to explore the suitability of an empirical approach for the extended Hildebrand solubility approach (EHSA) to predict and correlate the solubility of the crystalline drug itraconazole (ITRA) in triacetin: water mixtures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The physicochemical properties of ITRA like fusion enthalpy, solubility parameter, and ideal mole fraction solubility were estimated. The solubilities of ITRA in mixed solvent blends comprising triacetin: water were determined at 298.15°K. Theoretical solubilities were back calculated using a polynomial regression equation of the interaction energy parameter W as a function of the solubility parameter (δ1) of the solvent mixture. Similarly, the solubilities were predicted by direct method based on the use of logarithmic experimental solubilities (logX2 ) against the solubility parameter (δ1) of the solvent mixture. The predictive capabilities of both EHSA and the direct method were compared using mean percent deviations. RESULTS: The solubility of ITRA was increased in all the triacetin: water blends and was highest in the blend in which the solubility parameter of ITRA equaled that of the solvent mixture. The prediction capacities of the direct method (mean % deviation was -1.89%) were better than those of EHSA (mean % deviation was 9.76%) in the fifth order polynomial. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the solubility of any crystalline solute can be adequately predicted and correlated with the mere knowledge of physicochemical properties and EHSA. The information could be of help in process and formulation development.

Solubilization and determination of solution thermodynamic properties of itraconazole in different solvents at different temperatures.

The solubility of itraconazole (ITRA) in thirteen pure solvents including water, dimethyl sulphoxide, acetonitrile, methanol, 1,4-butanediol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butanol, octanol, ethyl acetate, toluene, benzene, 1,4-dioxane were estimated at the temperatures ranging from 293.15 K to 318.15 K under atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). The results reflected that the solubility of ITRA was a function of temperature and was increased with a rise in temperature in each solvent. Moreover, the solubility in polar solvents was less and found to be increased in non-polar solvents. Furthermore, the results of solubilization were correlated by the Van't Hoff equation, the modified Apelblat equation, the Buchowski - Ksiazaczak λh equation, and the polynomial empirical equation. The polynomial empirical equation proved to be more accurate and suitable for the correlation of solubilities of ITRA in studied solvents at various temperatures. Besides, theoretical ideal solubilities, activity coefficients, and thermodynamic properties of the solution process including standard molar enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and excess enthalpy were calculated from the experimental solubility data. These thermodynamic parameters indicated that the solubilization process was not spontaneous, endothermic, and enthalpy driven. Such thermodynamic based solubility data of ITRA will be of immense help in solubilization, synthesis, process development, preformualtion, and dosage form development in pharmaceuticals.

Enhancement of Dissolution of Fenofibrate Using Complexation with Hydroxy Propyl ß-Cyclodextrin.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to enhance the dissolution rate of fenofibrate using complexation with hydroxy propyl ß-cyclodextrin (HPßCD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The phase solubility behavior of fenofibrate was studied in various concentrations of (HPßCD) aq. solution at 37°C. The solubility of fenofibrate increased with an increase in the amount of HPßCD aq. solution. Gibbs free energy (ΔG°)tr values were all negative. Complexes of fenofibrate with HPßCD were prepared in 1:1 ratio by kneading and coprecipitation. These complexes were evaluated by dissolution studies, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies. RESULTS: The complexation of fenofibrate with HPßCD exhibited an enhanced dissolution rate. The mean dissolution time of fenofibrate decreased significantly upon complexation. FTIR studies showed the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between fenofibrate and HPßCD. DSC studies indicated a loss in crystalline state of fenofibrate in complexes. CONCLUSION: Complexation with HPßCD can be used as a useful tool for the enhancement of dissolution of fenofibrate.