Promoting Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of Oxalic Acid to Glycolic Acid via an Al3+ Ion Adsorption Strategy Coupled with Ethylene Glycol Oxidation.

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of oxalic acid (OX) to produce glycolic acid (GA), an important building block of biodegradable polymers as well as application in various branches of chemistry, has attracted extensive attention in the industry, while it still encounters challenges of low reaction rate and selectivity. Herein, we reported a cation adsorption strategy to realize the efficient ECH of OX to GA by adsorbing Al3+ ions on an anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanosheet array, achieving 2-fold enhanced GA productivity (1.3 vs 0.65 mmol cm-2 h-1) with higher Faradaic efficiency (FE) (85 vs 69%) at -0.74 V vs RHE. We reveal that the Al3+ adatoms on TiO2 both act as electrophilic adsorption sites to enhance the carbonyl (C═O) adsorption of OX and glyoxylic acid (intermediate) and also promote the generation of reactive hydrogen (H*) on TiO2, thus promoting the reaction rate. This strategy is demonstrated effective for different carboxylic acids. Furthermore, we realized the coproduction of GA at the bipolar of a H-type cell by pairing ECH of OX (at cathode) and electrooxidation of ethylene glycol (at anode), demonstrating an economical manner with maximum electron economy.

Galactosylated bovine serum albumin nanoparticles for parenteral delivery of oridonin: tissue distribution and pharmacokinetic studies.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticle is a promising drug carrier system. Oridonin (ORI)-loaded galactosylated BSA nanoparticle (ORI-GB-NP) was prepared for liver targeting delivery of ORI. This work was designed to investigate the in vitro release, in vivo pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ORI-GB-NP. ORI-GB-NP was prepared by the desolvation method. The particle size of ORI-GB-NP was 172.0 ± 8.3 nm with narrow size distribution. The in vitro release of ORI-GB-NP exhibited biphasic drug release pattern with an initial burst release and consequently sustained release. Pharmacokinetic analysis displayed that ORI-GB-NP and ORI-loaded BSA nanoparticle (ORI-BSA-NP) could enhance the drug plasma level and prolong the circulation time in contrast with ORI solution. Meanwhile, compared with ORI-BSA-NP, ORI-GB-NP could deliver more ORI to liver and simultaneously reduce the toxicity of ORI to heart, lung and kidney. In conclusion, ORI-GB-NP could be a promising drug delivery system for liver cancer therapy.

Research on the in vitro anticancer activity and in vivo tissue distribution of Amoitone B nanocrystals.

Amoitone B, a natural agonist to Nur77, is a promising anticancer drug. However, its application is seriously restricted due to the water-insolubility and short biological half-life. Amoitone B nanocrystals (AmB-NC) were formulated by microfluidization method to overcome the above obstacles. This study aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity and tissue distribution of AmB-NC. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay revealed the improved in vitro antitumor activity of AmB-NC against stomach, colon, liver and lung cancer cells compared with Amoitone B solution. Meanwhile, observation of morphological changes, cell cycle and apoptosis examination using flow cytometry exhibited that AmB-NC could induce G1 cycle arrest and markedly enhance the apoptosis of human gastric cancer BGC-823 cell line. Tissue distribution study demonstrated that AmB-NC had a higher distribution in liver and lung, which was helpful for relevant cancer treatment. In conclusion, AmB-NC could be a potential delivery system for treatment of human cancer.

In vitro and in vivo study of Gal-OS self-assembled nanoparticles for liver-targeting delivery of doxorubicin.

A liver-targeting drug delivery system for doxorubicin (DOX), that is, DOX-loaded self-assembled nanoparticles based on galactosylated O-carboxymethyl chitosan-graft-stearic acid conjugates (Gal-OS/DOX), has been prepared. The objective of the present study was to investigate the preparation, in vitro release, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and tissue distribution of Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were spherical in shape with mean size of 181.9 nm. In vitro release profiles indicated that the release of DOX from Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles behaved with a sustained and pH-dependent drug release. Pharmacokinetics study revealed Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles exhibited a higher AUC value and a prolonged residence time of drug in the blood circulation than those of DOX solution. Furthermore, Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles increased the uptake of DOX in liver and spleen, but decreased uptake in heart, lung, and kidney in the tissue distribution study. These results suggested that the Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles could prolong blood circulation time, enhance the liver accumulation, and reduce the side effect especially the cardiotoxicity of DOX. In conclusion, Gal-OS/DOX nanoparticles could be a promising drug delivery system for liver cancer therapy.

Preparation, characterization and pharmacokinetics of Amoitone B-loaded long circulating nanostructured lipid carriers.

Amoitone B, chemically synthesized as the derivative of Cytosporone B, is a powerful agonist for Nur77 receptor. It has outstanding anticancer activity in vivo. However, the water-insolubility and short biological half-life lead to poor bioavailability, which limits its application. The aim of this study was to develop polyethylene glycol-coated Amoitone B-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (AmB-PEG-NLC) for parenteral delivery of Amoitone B to prolong drug circulation time in body and enhance the bioavailability. AmB-PEG-NLC were prepared by emulsion-evaporation and low temperature-solidification method, while Amoitone B-loaded NLC (AmB-NLC) were also prepared as control. The characteristics of AmB-PEG-NLC and AmB-NLC such as particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and drug loading were investigated in detail. The mean particle size was about 200 nm and the zeta potential value was about -15 mV. The X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that Amoitone B was not in crystalline state in NLC (AmB-PEG-NLC and AmB-NLC). Drug release pattern with burst release initially and prolonged release afterwards was obtained in vitro for AmB-PEG-NLC. Furthermore, AmB-PEG-NLC exhibited prolonged MRT (mean residence time) and higher AUC (area under drug concentration-time curve) compared with AmB-NLC as well as Amoitone B solution. These results indicated that AmB-PEG-NLC could be a promising delivery system for Amoitone B to prolong the circulation time in body and thus improve its bioavailability.

Bexarotene nanocrystal-Oral and parenteral formulation development, characterization and pharmacokinetic evaluation.

Bexarotene (Targretin®) is a synthetic retinoid that selectively activates the retinoid X receptor subfamily of retinoid receptors and exhibits potent anti-tumor activity. However, the poor solubility and bioavailability limit its application. The main aim of this study is to investigate the potential of oral and parenteral nanocrystals in enhancing the bioavailability of bexarotene. In this work, the orthogonal design was used to screen the optimum stabilizers and precipitation-combined microfluidization method was employed to obtain the optimal nanocrystals. According to DSC, X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman examination, the nanocrystals were still in crystalline state after the preparation procedure. By reducing the particle size, the in vitro dissolution rate of bexarotene was increased significantly. The in vivo test was carried out in rats and pharmacokinetic parameters of the bexarotene solution and bexarotene nanocrystals were compared after gavage and intravenous administration. The higher AUC and lower Cmax indicated that oral bexarotene nanocrystals significantly increased the bioavailability of bexarotene and decreased its side effects. Compared to the oral nanocrystals, the intravenous nanocrystals cut losses and increased bioavailability because of the absence of first pass effect and enterohepatic circulation.

Self-assembled nanoparticles based on galactosylated O-carboxymethyl chitosan-graft-stearic acid conjugates for delivery of doxorubicin.

A novel polymer, i.e. galactosylated O-carboxymethyl chitosan-graft-stearic acid (Gal-OCMC-g-SA) was synthesized for liver targeting delivery of doxorubicin. The chemical structure was characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR and elemental analysis. Gal-OCMC-g-SA could self-assemble into nanoparticles with diameter of 160 nm by probe sonication in aqueous medium and exhibited a low critical aggregation concentration of 0.047 mg/mL. The DOX-loaded Gal-OCMC-g-SA (Gal-OCMC-g-SA/DOX) self-assembled nanoparticles were almost spherical in shape with an average diameter of less than 200 nm and zeta potential of around -10 mV. In vitro release revealed that the Gal-OCMC-g-SA/DOX nanoparticles exhibited a sustained and pH-dependent drug release manner. Furthermore, the hemolysis test demonstrated the good safety of Gal-OCMC-g-SA in blood-contacting applications. These results indicated that Gal-OCMC-g-SA/DOX nanoparticles were highly potential to be applied in cancer therapy.

Design and characterization of Amoitone B-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for controlled drug release.

Amoitone B, a novel compound chemically synthesized as the analogue of cytosporone B, has been proved to own superior affinity with Nur77 than its parent compound and exhibit notable anticancer activity. However, its application is seriously restricted due to the water-insolubility and short biological half-time. The aim of this study was to construct an effective delivery system for Amoitone B to realize sustained release, thus prolong drug circulation time in body and improve the bioavailability. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) act as a new type of colloidal drug delivery system, which offer the advantages of improved drug loading and sustained release. Amoitone B-loaded NLC (AmB-NLC) containing glyceryl monostearate (GMS) and various amounts of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) were successfully prepared by emulsion-evaporation and low temperature-solidification technology with a particle size of about 200 nm and a zeta potential value of about -20 mV. The results of X-ray diffraction and DSC analysis showed amorphous crystalline state of Amoitone B in NLC. Furthermore, the drug entrapment efficacy (EE) was improved compared with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). The EE range was from 71.1% to 84.7%, enhanced with the increase of liquid lipid. In vitro drug release studies revealed biphasic drug release patterns with burst release initially and prolonged release afterwards and the release was accelerated with augment of liquid lipid. These results demonstrated that AmB-NLC could be a promising delivery system to control drug release and improve loading capacity, thus prolong drug action time in body and enhance the bioavailability.

Synthesis, characterization, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of PEGylated oridonin conjugates.

Oridonin (ORI), a diterpenoid compound with promising antitumor activity, was proved to possess potent antileukemia efficacies in vitro and in vivo recently. However, the development and application of ORI was limited by its poor solubility and rapid plasma clearance. The purpose of this study was to solve these problems. PEGylated oridonin linked with succinic acid (SA) as spacer moiety (PEG-SA-ORI conjugate) was synthesized. mPEG amines with four specifications of molecular weight (MW) were utilized. All polymeric conjugates showed satisfactory aqueous solubility and in vitro studies implied that the drug solubility and release features of conjugates were relevant to PEGs. The drug solubility increased more when the MW of PEG was lower, while more significant sustained-release effect was shown with higher PEG MW. Moreover, the release behaviors of conjugates showed a pH-sensitive property. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that the elimination half-life was prolonged in comparison with ORI solution. PEGylation could be a promising method to obtain better efficacy in the field of drug delivery system.

Preparation and characterization of galactosylated bovine serum albumin nanoparticles for liver-targeted delivery of oridonin.

In this study, galactosylated bovine serum albumin (GB), which could be developed for a liver targeting carrier was synthetized and it was identified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer. Oridonin loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticle (ORI-BSA-NP) and oridonin loaded GB nanoparticle (ORI-GB-NP) were prepared and optimized by the desolvation technique. During the preparation of ORI-GB-NP, galactosamine was introduced to end-cap the free aldehyde groups on nanoparticles. The characteristics of ORI-GB-NP such as particle size, zeta potential, particle morphologie, entrapment efficiency and drug loading were evaluated. The nearly spherical nanoparticles, with a narrow size distribution below 200 nm, were negatively charged with zeta potential of about -30 mV. Meanwhile, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous state of ORI in ORI-GB-NP. The in vitro drug release of ORI from ORI-GB-NP presented a biphasic pattern with an initial burst effect and consequently sustained release. These results implied that the nanoparticles possessed fine physicochemical characteristics and seemed to be a stable delivery system for poorly soluble oridonin.

Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics evaluation of DOMC-FA micelles for intravenous delivery of PTX.

A novel micelle formulation of paclitaxel (PTX) has been prepared for the purpose of prolonging the blood circulation time as well as modifying the biodistribution of PTX in comparison to a current PTX formulation, Taxol injection. This work was designed to investigate the preparation, in vitro release, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and tissue distribution of PTX-loaded DOMC-FA (deoxycholic acid- O-carboxymethylated chitosan- folic acid conjugate) micellar system. The micelles were prepared by self-assemble method using amphiphilic DOMC-FA polymer and a hydrophobic anticancer drug, PTX. The resultant PTX-loaded micelles had a mean size of approximately 152 nm with narrow size distribution and a spherical shape. The in vitro release profiles indicated that the release of PTX from the micelles exhibited a sustained release behavior. Pharmacokinetic study revealed that DOMC-FA/PTX micelles exhibited higher AUC values and a prolonged residence time of drug in the blood circulation than that of Taxol injection. The PTX-loaded micelles increased the uptake of PTX in the spleen, lung, and liver, but decreased uptake in the heart and kidney in the tissue distribution study. These results suggested that the DOMC-FA micelles can prolong blood circulation time and modify the tissue distribution of PTX, and could provide a useful alternative dosage form for intravenous administration of PTX.

Studies on the preparation, characterization and pharmacokinetics of Amoitone B nanocrystals.

Amoitone B, as a new derivative of cytosporone B, has been proved to be a natural agonist for Nur77. It exhibits remarkable anticancer activity in vivo and has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. However, the poor solubility and dissolution rate result in low therapeutic index for injection and low bioavailability for oral administration, therefore limiting its application. In order to magnify the clinical use of Amoitone B, nanocrystal was selected as an application technology to solve the above problems. In this study, the optimized Amoitone B nanocrystals with small and uniform particle size were successfully prepared by microfluidization method and investigated by morphology, size distribution, and zeta potential. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed there was no crystalline state changed in the size reduction process. For Amoitone B nanocrystals, an accelerated dissolution velocity and increased saturation solubility were achieved in vitro and a markedly different pharmacokinetic property in vivo was exhibited with retarded clearance and magnified AUC compared with Amoitone B solution. These results implied that developing Amoitone B as nanocrystals is a promising choice for intravenous delivery and further application for cancer therapy.

Folate-mediated targeted and intracellular delivery of paclitaxel using a novel deoxycholic acid-O-carboxymethylated chitosan-folic acid micelles.

BACKGROUND: A critical disadvantage for successful chemotherapy with paclitaxel (PTX) is its nontargeting nature to cancer cells. Folic acid has been employed as a targeting ligand of various anticancer agents to increase their cellular uptake within target cells since the folate receptor is overexpressed on the surface of such tumor cells. In this study, a novel biodegradable deoxycholic acid-O-carboxymethylated chitosan-folic acid conjugate (DOMC-FA) was used to form micelles for encapsulating the anticancer drug PTX. METHODS AND RESULTS: The drug-loading efficiency, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug release and physicochemical properties of PTX-loaded micelles were investigated in detail. In vitro cell culture studies were carried out in MCF-7 cells, a human breast carcinoma cell line, with folate receptor overexpressed on its surface. An increased level of uptake of folate-conjugated micelles compared to plain micelles in MCF-7 cells was observed, and the enhanced uptake of folate-micelles mainly on account of the effective process of folate receptor-mediated endocytosis. The MTT assay, morphological changes, and apoptosis test implied that the folate-conjugated micelles enhanced the cell death by folate-mediated active internalization, and the cytotoxicity of the FA-micellar PTX (DOMC-FA/PTX) to cancer cells was much higher than micelles without folate (DOMC/PTX) or the commercially available injectable preparation of PTX (Taxol). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that the PTX-loaded DOMC-FA micelle is a successful anticancer-targeted drug-delivery system for effective cancer chemotherapy.

Synergistic effect of folate-mediated targeting and verapamil-mediated P-gp inhibition with paclitaxel -polymer micelles to overcome multi-drug resistance.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumor cells is a significant obstacle for successful cancer chemotherapy. Overexpression of drug efflux transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a key factor contributing to the development of tumor drug resistance. Verapamil (VRP), a P-gp inhibitor, has been reported to be able to reverse completely the resistance caused by P-gp. For optimal synergy, the drug and inhibitor combination may need to be temporally colocalized in the tumor cells. Herein, we investigated the effectiveness of simultaneous and targeted delivery of anticancer drug, paclitaxel (PTX), along with VRP, using DOMC-FA micelles to overcome tumor drug resistance. The floate-functionalized dual agent loaded micelles resulted in the similar cytotoxicity to PTX-loaded micelles/free VRP combination and co-administration of two single-agent loaded micelles, which was higher than that of PTX-loaded micelles. Enhanced therapeutic efficacy of dual agent micelles could be ascribe to increased accumulation of PTX in drug-resistant tumor cells. We suggest that the synergistic effect of folate receptor-mediated internalization and VRP-mediated overcoming MDR could be beneficial in treatment of MDR solid tumors by targeting delivery of micellar PTX into tumor cells. As a result, the difunctional micelle systems is a very promising approach to overcome tumor drug resistance.

In vitro antitumor activity of silybin nanosuspension in PC-3 cells.

The present study aims to evaluate the antitumor activity of silybin nanosuspension on human prostatic carcinoma PC-3 cell line in vitro. Silybin nanosuspension was prepared by the high pressure homogenization (HPH) method. MTT assay, observation of morphological changes and apoptotic body showed that silybin nanosuspension could significantly enhance the in vitro cytotoxicity against PC-3 cells compared to the silybin solution. Flow cytometric (FCM) analysis demonstrated that silybin nanosuspension induced G1 cycle arrest and apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Thereby, the overall results suggest that the silybin nanosuspension represents a potential source of medicine for the treatment of human prostate cancer.