Phase Behavior of Drug-Lipid-Surfactant Ternary Systems toward Understanding the Annealing-Induced Change.

The present study systematically investigates the effect of annealing conditions and the Kolliphor P 407 content on the physicochemical and structural properties of Compritol (glyceryl behenate) and ternary systems prepared via melt cooling (Kolliphor P 407, Compritol, and a hydrophilic API) representing solid-lipid formulations. The physical properties of Compritol and the ternary systems with varying ratios of Compritol and Kolliphor P 407 were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and hot-stage microscopy (HSM), before and after annealing. The change in the chemical profiles of different Compritol components as a function of annealing was evaluated using 1H NMR spectroscopy. While no change in the polymorphic form of API and Kolliphor P 407 occurred during annealing, a systematic conversion of the α- to ß-form was observed in the case of Compritol. Furthermore, the polymorphic transformation of Compritol was found to be dependent on the Kolliphor P 407 content. As per the Flory-Huggins mixing theory, higher miscibility was observed in the case of monobehenin-Kolliphor P 407, monobehenin-dibehenin, and dibehenin-tribehenin binary mixtures. The miscibility of Kolliphor P 407 with monobehenin and 1,2-dibehenin was confirmed by 1H NMR analysis. The observed higher miscibility of Kolliphor P 407 with monobehenin and 1,2-dibehenin is proposed as the trigger for the physical separation from the 1,3-diglyceride and triglycerides during melt solidification of the formulations. The phase separation is postulated as the mechanism underlying the formation of a stable ß-polymorphic form (a native form of 1,3-diglyceride) of Compritol upon annealing. This finding is expected to have an important implication for developing stable solid-lipid-surfactant-based drug formulations.

Solid-State Characterization and Relative Formation Enthalpies To Evaluate Stability of Cocrystals of an Antidiabetic Drug.

The current study integrates formation enthalpy and traditional slurry experiments to quickly assess the physical stability of cocrystal drug substance candidates for their potential to support drug development. Cocrystals of an antidiabetic drug (GKA) with nicotinamide (NMA), vanillic acid (VLA), and ethyl vanillin (EVL) were prepared and characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), spectroscopic, and thermal techniques. The formation enthalpies of the cocrystals, and their physical mixtures (GKA + coformer) were measured by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method reported by Zhang et al. [ Cryst. Growth Des. 2012 , 12 ( 8 ), 4090 - 4097 ]. The experimentally measured differences in the relative formation enthalpies obtained by integrating the heat flow of each cocrystal against the respective physical mixture were correlated to the physical stability of the cocrystals in the solid state. The relative formation enthalpies of all of the cocrystals studied suggest that the cocrystals are not physically stable at room temperature versus their physical mixtures. To further address relative stability, the cocrystals were slurried in 30% v/v aqueous ethanol, and it was observed that all of the cocrystals revert to GKA within 48 h at room temperature. The slurry experiments are consistent with the relative instability of the cocrystals with respect to their physical mixtures suggested by the DSC results.

A rapid and robust method for selective isotope labeling of proteins.

Amino-acid selective isotope labeling of proteins offers numerous advantages in mechanistic studies by revealing structural and functional information unattainable from a crystallographic approach. However, efficient labeling of proteins with selected amino acids necessitates auxotrophic hosts, which are often not available. We have constructed a set of auxotrophs in a commonly used Escherichia coli expression strain C43(DE3), a derivative of E. coli BL21(DE3), which can be used for isotopic labeling of individual amino acids or sets of amino acids. These strains have general applicability to either soluble or membrane proteins that can be expressed in E. coli. We present examples in which proteins are selectively labeled with (13)C- and (15)N-amino acids and studied using magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR and pulsed EPR, demonstrating the utility of these strains for biophysical characterization of membrane proteins, radical-generating enzymes and metalloproteins.

Binary isobaric phase diagrams of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 formulations in the molten and solid state.

Multiparticulate formulations allow for the design of specialized pharmaceutical dosage forms that cater to the needs of a wide range of patient demographics, such as pediatric and geriatric populations, by affording control over the release rate and facilitating the formulation of fixed-dose combination drugs. Melt spray-congealing (MSC) is a method for preparing multiparticulate dosage forms from a suspension or solid solution of active pharamaceutical ingredients (API) and a molten carrier matrix. Stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 mixtures are widely used as carrier matrices in MSC microsphere formulations. In this report, the phase equilibria of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 mixtures were investigated by generating binary phase diagrams of composition, i.e. weight/weight percent of poloxamer 407 in stearyl alcohol, and temperature in the molten form and the solid state. The phase equilibria of the molten state were characterized by 1H NMR measurements. The miscibility curves of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 molten mixtures revealed that stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 are not miscible in all proportions and that miscibility substantially increases with temperature. The phase equilibria of the solid state were characterized by DSC and PXRD experiments. The phase diagrams of the solid state indicate that stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 crystallize and melt separately and, thus, do not form a eutectic or a single phase. The phases equilibria of the bulk mixtures were compared to the phases observed in placebo MSC microspheres and it was determined that the microspheres consist of a mixture of thermodynamically stable and metastable stearyl alcohol crystals immediately after manufacture.

High-yield expression and purification of isotopically labeled cytochrome P450 monooxygenases for solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), which represent the major group of drug metabolizing enzymes in humans, also catalyze important synthetic and detoxicative reactions in insects, plants and many microbes. Flexibilities in their catalytic sites and membrane associations are thought to play central roles in substrate binding and catalytic specificity. To date, Escherichia coli expression strategies for structural analysis of eukaryotic membrane-bound P450s by X-ray crystallography have necessitated full or partial removal of their N-terminal signal anchor domain and, often, replacement of residues more peripherally associated with the membrane (such as the F-G loop region). Even with these modifications, investigations of P450 structural flexibility remain challenging with multiple single crystal conditions needed to identify spatial variations between substrate-free and different substrate-bound forms. To overcome these limitations, we have developed methods for the efficient expression of 13C- and 15N-labeled P450s and analysis of their structures by magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy. In the presence of co-expressed GroEL and GroES chaperones, full-length (53 kDa) Arabidopsis 13C,15N-labeled His4CYP98A3 is expressed at yields of 2-4 mg per liter of minimal media without the necessity of generating side chain modifications or N-terminal deletions. Precipitated His4CYP98A3 generates high quality SSNMR spectra consistent with a homogeneous, folded protein. These data highlight the potential of these methodologies to contribute to the structural analysis of membrane-bound proteins.