In vitro and in vivo characterization of meloxicam nanoparticles designed for nasal administration.

The nasal pathway represents a non-invasive route for delivery of drugs to the systemic circulation. Nanonization of poorly soluble drugs offers a possibility to increase dissolution properties, epithelial permeability or even bioavailability. The aim of the present study was to use in vitro methods to screen formulations which were intended for nasal application, and to perform animal experiments for recognizing the differences in plasmakinetics of intranasal- and oral-administered meloxicam nanoparticles. Due to nanonization the solubility of meloxicam elevated up to 1.2mg/mL, additionally the extent of dissolution also increased, complete dissolution was observed in 15 min. Favorable in vitro diffusion profile of meloxicam nanoparticles was observed and their epithelial permeability through human RPMI2650 cells was elevated. The pharmacokinetic parameters were significantly increased when meloxicam was administered as nanoparticles to rats either nasally (increase of Cmax 2.7-fold, AUC 1.5-fold) or orally (increase of C(max) 2.4-fold, AUC 2-fold) as compared to physical mixture of the drug and the excipients.

Retinoic acid and hydrocortisone strengthen the barrier function of human RPMI 2650 cells, a model for nasal epithelial permeability.

The nasal pathway represents an alternative route for non-invasive systemic administration of drugs. The main advantages of nasal drug delivery are the rapid onset of action, the avoidance of the first-pass metabolism in the liver and the easy applicability. In vitro cell culture systems offer an opportunity to model biological barriers. Our aim was to develop and characterize an in vitro model based on confluent layers of the human RPMI 2650 cell line. Retinoic acid, hydrocortisone and cyclic adenosine monophosphate, which influence cell attachment, growth and differentiation have been investigated on the barrier formation and function of the nasal epithelial cell layers. Real-time cell microelectronic sensing, a novel label-free technique was used for dynamic monitoring of cell growth and barrier properties of RPMI 2650 cells. Treatments enhanced the formation of adherens and tight intercellular junctions visualized by electron microscopy, the presence and localization of junctional proteins ZO-1 and ß-catenin demonstrated by fluorescent immunohistochemistry, and the barrier function of nasal epithelial cell layers. The transepithelial resistance of the RPMI 2650 cell model reached 50 to 200 Ω × cm(2), the permeability coefficient for 4.4 kDa FITC-dextran was 9.3 to 17 × 10(-6) cm/s, in agreement with values measured on nasal mucosa from in vivo and ex vivo experiments. Based on these results human RPMI 2650 cells seem to be a suitable nasal epithelial model to test different pharmaceutical excipients and various novel formulations, such as nanoparticles for toxicity and permeability.

The effect of sucrose esters on a culture model of the nasal barrier.

Sucrose esters are effective solubilizers and there is an interest to use them as pharmaceutical excipients for nasal drug delivery. We have determined for the first time the non-toxic doses of laurate and myristate sucrose esters by four independent methods, and their effects on epithelial permeability using RPMI 2650 human nasal epithelial cell line. Based on real-time cell electronic sensing, MTT dye conversion and lactate dehydrogenase release methods reference surfactant Cremophor RH40 proved to be the least toxic excipient, and could be used at 5mg/mL concentration for 1h in epithelial cells without cellular damage. The non-toxic dose of Tween 80 was 1 mg/mL, while the dose of laurate and myristate sucrose esters that could be safely used on cells for 1 h was 0.1 mg/mL. Both the reference surfactants and the sucrose esters significantly enhanced the permeability of epithelial cell layers for the paracellular marker FITC-labelled 4.4 kDa dextran at 0.1 mg/mL concentration. The effects of sucrose esters on epithelial permeability were dose-dependent. These data indicate that laurate and myristate sucrose esters can be potentially used as permeability enhancers in nasal formulations to augment drug delivery to the systemic circulation.

Intranasal delivery of human beta-amyloid peptide in rats: effective brain targeting.

(1) Intranasal administration is a non-invasive and effective way for the delivery of drugs to brain that circumvents the blood-brain barrier. The aims of the study were to test a nasal delivery system for human beta-amyloid (A beta) peptides, to measure the delivery of the peptides to brain regions, and to test their biological activity in rats. (2) A beta(1-42), in the form of a mixture of oligomers, protofibrils, and fibrils was dissolved in a nasal formulation containing hydrophobic, hydrophylic, and mucoadhesive components. The peptide solution was administered intranasally to rats as a single dose or in repeated doses. (3) Nasally injected A beta labeled with the blue fluorescent dye amino-methyl coumarinyl acetic acid (AMCA) could be detected by fluorescent microscopy in the olfactory bulb and frontal cortex. The concentration of the peptide was quantified by fluorescent spectroscopy, and a significant amount of AMCA-A beta peptide could be detected in the olfactory bulb. Unlabeled A beta also reached the olfactory bulb and frontal cortex of rats as evidenced by intense immunostaining. (4) In behavioral experiments, nasal A beta treatment did not affect anxiety levels (open-field test) and short-term memory (Y-maze test), but significantly impaired long-term spatial memory in the Morris water maze. The treatments did not result in A beta immunization. (5) The tested intranasal delivery system could successfully target a bioactive peptide into the central nervous system and provides a basis for developing a non-invasive and cost effective, new model to study amyloid-induced dysfunctions in the brain.

Sodium hyaluronate as a mucoadhesive component in nasal formulation enhances delivery of molecules to brain tissue.

Intranasal administration of molecules has been investigated as a non-invasive way for delivery of drugs to the brain in the last decade. Circumvention of both the blood-brain barrier and the first-pass elimination by the liver and gastrointestinal tract is considered as the main advantages of this method. Because of the rapid mucociliary clearance in the nasal cavity, bioadhesive formulations are needed for effective targeting. Our goal was to develop a formulation containing sodium hyaluronate, a well-known mucoadhesive molecule, in combination with a non-ionic surfactant to enhance the delivery of hydrophilic compounds to the brain via the olfactory route. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled 4 kDa dextran (FD-4), used as a test molecule, was administered nasally in different formulations to Wistar rats, and detected in brain areas by fluorescent spectrophotometry. Hyaluronan increased the viscosity of the vehicles and slowed down the in vitro release of FD-4. Significantly higher FD-4 transport could be measured in the majority of brain areas examined, including olfactory bulb, frontal and parietal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, midbrain and pons, when the vehicle contained hyaluronan in combination with absorption enhancer. The highest concentrations of FD-4 could be detected in the olfactory bulbs, frontal and parietal cortex 4h after nasal administration in the mucoadhesive formulation. Intravenous administration of a hundred times higher dose of FD-4 resulted in a lower brain penetration as compared to nasal formulations. Morphological examination of the olfactory system revealed no toxicity of the vehicles. Hyaluronan, a non-toxic biomolecule used as a mucoadhesive in a nasal formulation, increased the brain penetration of a hydrophilic compound, the size of a peptide, via the nasal route.