Evaluation of Hydrogenated Soybean Phosphatidylcholine Matrices Prepared by Hot Melt Extrusion for Oral Controlled Delivery of Water-Soluble Drugs.

The aims of this study were to prepare hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine (HSPC) matrices by hot melt extrusion and to evaluate resulting matrix potential to extend drug release in regard to drug loading and solubility for oral drug delivery of water-soluble drugs. The liquid crystalline nature of HSPC powder allowed its extrusion at 120°C, which was below its capillary melting point. Model drugs with a wide range of water solubilities (8, 20 and 240 mg/mL) and melting temperatures (160-270°C) were used. Extrudates with up to 70% drug loading were prepared at temperatures below the drugs' melting points. The original crystalline state of the drugs remained unchanged through the process as confirmed by XRPD and hot-stage microscopy. The time to achieve 80% release (t80) from extrudates with 50% drug loading was 3, 8 and 18 h for diprophylline, caffeine and theophylline, respectively. The effect of matrix preparation method (extrusion vs. compression) on drug release was evaluated. For non-eroding formulations, the drug release retarding properties of the HSPC matrix were mostly not influenced by the preparation method. However, with increasing drug loadings, compressed tablets eroded significantly more than extruded matrices, resulting in 2 to 11 times faster drug release. There were no signs of erosion observed in extrudates with different drugs up to 70% loadings. The mechanical robustness of HSPC extrudates was attributed to the formation of a skin-core structure and was identified as the main reason for the drug release controlling potential of the HSPC matrices produced by hot melt extrusion.

Bromolactamization: key step in the stereoselective synthesis of enantiomerically pure, cis-configured perhydropyrroloquinoxalines.

Compounds based on the pyrroloquinoxaline system can interact with serotonin 5-HT3 , cannabinoid CB1 , and µ-opioid receptors. Herein, a chiral pool synthesis of diastereomerically and enantiomerically pure bromolactam (S,R,R,R)-14A is presented. Introduction of the cyclohexenyl ring at the N-atom of (S)-proline derivatives 8 or methyl (S)-pyroglutamate (12) led to the N-cyclohexenyl substituted pyrrolidine derivatives 4 and 13, respectively. All attempts to cyclize the (S)-proline derivatives 4 with a basic pyrrolidine N-atom via [3 + 2] cycloaddition, aziridination, or bromolactamization failed. Fast aromatization occurred during treatment of cyclohexenamines under halolactamization conditions. In contrast, reaction of a 1:1 mixture of diastereomeric pyroglutamates (S,R)-13bA and (S,S)-13bB with LiO(t) Bu and NBS provided the tricyclic bromolactam (S,R,R,R)-14A with high diastereoselectivity from (S,R)-13bA, but did not transform the diastereomer (S,S)-13bB. The different behavior of the diastereomeric pyroglutamates (S,R)-13bA and (S,S)-13bB is explained by different energetically favored conformations.