Cyclosporine A delivery to the eye: A comprehensive review of academic and industrial efforts.

Local ocular delivery of cyclosporine A (CsA) is the preferred method for CsA delivery as a treatment for ocular inflammatory diseases such as uveitis, corneal healing, vernal keratoconjunctivitis and dry eye disease. However, due to the large molecular weight and hydrophobic nature of CsA and the natural protective mechanisms of the eye, achieving therapeutic levels of CsA in ocular tissues can be difficult. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the current products available to clinicians as well as emerging drug delivery solutions that have been developed at both the academic and industry levels.

Histologic Assessment of Drug-Eluting Grafts Related to Implantation Site.

Drug-eluting vascular prostheses represent a new direction in vascular surgery to reduce early thrombosis and late intimal hyperplasia for small calibre grafts. Subcutaneous implantation in rats is a rapid and cost-effective screening model to assess the drug-elution effect and could, to some extent, be useful to forecast results for vascular prostheses. We compared biological and histological responses to scaffolds in different implantation sites. Polycaprolactone (PCL), paclitaxel-loaded PCL (PCL-PTX) and dexamethasone-loaded PCL (PCL-DXM) electrospun scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously and in an infrarenal abdominal aortic model in rats for up to 12 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, a histological analysis was performed. Cellular graft invasion revealed differences in the progression of cellular infiltration between PCL-PTX and PCL/PCL-DXM groups in both models. Cell infiltration increased over time in the aortic model compared to the subcutaneous model for all groups. Cell counting revealed major differences in fibroblast, macrophage and giant cell graft colonisation in all groups and models over time. Macrophages and giant cells increased in the PCL aortic model; whereas in the subcutaneous model these cell types increased only after three weeks or even decreased in the drug-eluting PCL groups. Other major findings were observed only in the aortic replacement such as extracellular matrix deposition and neo-angiogenesis. The subcutaneous implant model can be used for screening, especially when drug-eluting effects are studied. However, major histological differences were observed in cell type reaction and depth of cell penetration compared to the aortic model. Our results demonstrate that the implantation site is a critical determinant of the biological response.

Design and in vitro assessment of L-lactic acid-based copolymers as prodrug and carrier for intravitreal sustained L-lactate release to reverse retinal arteriolar occlusions.

Ophthalmic conditions in which the retinal vasculature is obstructed generally lead to vision loss. Administration of the vasodilator L-lactate might offer a treatment strategy by restoring the blood flow, but unfortunately its effect after single intravitreal injection is short-lived. This study describes a concept in which the sustained release of L-lactic acid from a biodegradable copolymer system is investigated. The 50:50 (n/n) copolymer system, composed of L-lactic acid and L,D-2-hydroxyoctanoic acid, is a viscous injectable that will form an intravitreal drug depot. Hydrolysis of the copolymer will automatically lead to the release of L-lactic acid, which will convert to L-lactate at physiological pH, thereby providing a carrier and pro-drug in one. In vitro and ex vivo release studies demonstrate an L-lactic acid release over several weeks. Biocompatibility of the co-polymer and its degradation products is shown on a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line and on ex vivo retinal tissues. A low molecular weight copolymer (1200 g/mol) with low polydispersity has promising properties with a constant release profile, good biocompatibility and injectability.

Coupling ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry: constraints and possible applications.

The introduction of columns packed with porous sub-2µm particles and the extension of the upper pressure limit of HPLC instrumentation to 1300bar (ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography, UHPLC) has opened new frontiers in resolution and speed of analysis. However, certain constraints appear when coupling UHPLC technology with mass spectrometry (MS). First, the most significant limitation is related to the narrow peaks that are produced by UHPLC that require a fast duty cycle, which is only available on the latest generations of MS devices. Thus, certain analyzers are more readily compatible with UHPLC (e.g., QqQ or TOF/MS) than others (e.g., ion trap or FT-MS). Second, due to the reduction of the column volume, extra-column band broadening can become significant, leading to a reduction in the kinetic performance of the UHPLC-MS configuration. Third, as the mobile phase linear velocity is higher in UHPLC, the electrospray ionization source must also be able to provide high sensitivity at flow rates of up to 1mL/min. Despite these limitations, the UHPLC-MS/MS platform has successfully been employed over the last decade for various types of applications, including those related to bioanalysis, drug metabolism, multi-residue screening, metabolomics, biopharmaceuticals and polar compounds.

Association of ranibizumab (Lucentis®) or bevacizumab (Avastin®) with dexamethasone and triamcinolone acetonide: an in vitro stability assessment.

The in vitro stability of monoclonal antibodies used for age-related macular degeneration, ranibizumab and bevacizumab, was investigated. The aggregation profile of the antibodies was compared, alone and after association with dexamethasone sodium phosphate or triamcinolone acetonide. Commercial formulations of ranibizumab and bevacizumab were dialysed into three different buffers. After dialysis, samples were stored at 4°C, 25°C and 40°C during 35 days, alone and in combination with dexamethasone sodium phosphate, triamcinolone acetonide phosphate solution or triamcinolone acetonide suspension. Combined formulations based on both commercial formulations were investigated as well. The aggregation state of the antibodies was measured by multi-angle light scattering (MALS) after separation by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AFFF) or size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Ranibizumab results to be more stable than bevacizumab, alone and in combination with dexamethasone sodium phosphate or triamcinolone acetonide. Elevation in concentration, pH and temperature causes a decrease in stability of both antibodies. The association of triamcinolone acetonide phosphate solution with either ranibizumab or bevacizumab is observed to be the least stable combination of all samples tested. Dexamethasone sodium phosphate was shown to have a stabilizing effect on bevacizumab, although this is not the case for its combination with the commercial formulation Avastin®. The results demonstrate that the in vitro association of either ranibizumab or bevacizumab with dexamethasone sodium phosphate or triamcinolone acetonide suspension does not decrease the stability of these antibodies. Although ranibizumab is more stable than bevacizumab in vitro, further research has to point out how this affects their mechanism of action in vivo.

Screening of nanoparticulate delivery systems for the photodetection of cancer in a simple and cost-effective model.

AIMS: In urology, fluorescence-based imaging methods have been proven to significantly improve the detection of small, barely visible tumors and reduce the recurrence rate. Under ethical and economical pressure, new effective screening systems have to be developed to exploit and assess novel strategies for fluorescence photodetection in other areas. For this purpose, the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the developing chick embryo is an attractive alternative model to the mammalian models. MATERIALS & METHODS: Hypericin encapsulated into nanoparticles for the photodetection of ovarian metastases was evaluated in the CAM model with respect to vascular extravazation and tumor targeting and compared with free drug following intravenous administration. RESULTS: To validate the CAM model as a valuable screening system for photodetection of cancer, we drew a comparison with results obtained on a conventional rodent model. CONCLUSION: Rodent and CAM models led to the same conclusion regarding the benefits of nanoencapsulation to improve selective accumulation of drug in ovarian micrometastases.

Assessment of tailor-made HPMC-based matrix minitablets comprising a weakly basic drug compound.

Tailor-made, pH-controlled matrix minitablets based on different HPMC types were developed comprising the weakly basic drug dipyridamole. The incorporation of pH modifiers, i.e., fumaric and succinic acid, enhanced the drug release at pH 6.8. Assessing the drug release, acid release, and the microenvironmental pH (pHM) provided detailed understanding of pH-controlled mini-matrices. The extent and duration of pHM alteration was more pronounced in presence of fumaric acid. Minitablets based on the fast dissolving Methocel K100LV (< or = 100 cps) showed simultaneous release rates of dipyridamole and fumaric acid with a constant low average pHM.

Nanoparticles for drug delivery: the need for precision in reporting particle size parameters.

Polymeric drug-loaded nanoparticles have been extensively studied in the field of drug delivery. Biodistribution depends on the physicochemical properties of particles, especially size. The global message from the literature is that small particles have an enhanced ability to reach their target. The present review highlights the difficulties in validating the data from biodistribution studies without accurate particle size determination.