Evaluation of Dantrolene Granules Extemporaneously Reformulated from Capsules in a Pharmacy.

Dantrolene capsule, an effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of spasticity, is administered to children who cannot swallow the capsule after reformulation into a powder. The powdered drug can alter the specified dosage and it is also difficult to dispense the powdered formulation because of its bulky and sticky nature. To resolve these problems, we reformulated dantrolene capsules into granules using a centrifugal planetary mixer in the pharmacy. The granules containing lactose-cornstarch, D-mannitol, or microcrystalline cellulose as a diluent were examined to determine particle size distribution, flowability, drug content uniformity, and disintegration time. The granules with microcrystalline cellulose were superior to the other forms, owing to their smaller size, good drug content uniformity, and rapid disintegration. We further investigated the usability of the granules in the dispensing procedure (dividing and packing) and in the dosing process (retrieval from package) using the powders as controls. The deviation of the divided amount and loss on dosing were reduced relative to the powders. In addition, drug dissolution properties and storage stability for 12 months were the same as those of the powders. Therefore, we concluded that dantrolene granules are excellent alternatives as an extemporaneous preparation in pharmacies.

Beneficial effect of desialylated erythropoietin administration on the frozen-thawed canine ovarian xenotransplantation.

PURPOSE: The main drawback of ovarian cryopreservation followed by transplantation is that a large proportion of follicles are lost after transplantation. Thus, effects of erythropoietin (EPO) and desialylated EPO administration on the frozen-thawed canine ovarian xenotransplantation were examined. METHODS: The protective and survival-promoting effects of EPO and desialylated EPO on the follicles of frozen-thawed canine ovaries after transplantation were examined using NOD-SCID mice. Frozen-thawed dog ovarian tissue with 400 U/kg of EPO or asialo EPO was placed into the ovarian bursa. RESULTS: At 4 weeks after the transplantation, the ovaries were removed and subjected to histological examination. The survival rate of early primary follicles was 15.2% in the EPO group and 157.6% in the asialo EPO group, in contrast to 10.1% in the untreated group. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that administration of asialo EPO could be effectively used to enhance the survival of the follicles of transplanted cryopreserved ovaries.