Proof of concept testing of a positive reference material for in vivo and in vitro sensitization testing of medical devices.

In vivo skin sensitization tests are required to evaluate the biological safety of medical devices in contact with living organisms to provide safe medical care to patients. Negative and positive reference materials have been developed for biological tests of cytotoxicity, implantation, hemolysis, and in vitro skin irritation. However, skin sensitization tests are lacking. In this study, polyurethane sheets containing 1 wt/wt % 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB-PU) were developed and evaluated as a positive reference material for skin sensitization tests. DNCB-PU sheet extracts prepared with sesame oil elicited positive sensitization responses for in vivo sensitization potential in the guinea pig maximization test and the local lymph node assay. Furthermore, DNCB-PU sheet extracts prepared with water and acetonitrile, 10% fetal bovine serum-containing medium, or sesame oil elicited positive sensitization responses as alternatives to animal testing based on the amino acid derivative reactivity assay, human cell line activation test, and epidermal sensitization assay, respectively. These data suggest that the DNCB-PU sheet is an effective extractable positive reference material for in vivo and in vitro skin sensitization testing in medical devices. The formulation of this reference material will lead to the development of safer medical devices that contribute to patient safety.

Cold Flow Evaluation in Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems by Measuring the Width of the Oozed Adhesive.

The objective of this study was to develop a simpler and more practical quantitative evaluation method of cold flow (CF) in transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDSs). CF was forcibly induced by loading a weight on a punched-out sample (bisoprolol and tulobuterol tapes). When the extent of CF was analyzed using the area of oozed adhesive as following a previously reported method, the CF profiles were looked different between the samples 12 mm in diameter subjected to a 0.5-kg weight and samples 24 mm in diameter subjected to a 2.0-kg weight despite an equal load per unit area (4.42 g/mm2). The width of oozed adhesive around the original sample was suggested to be an index that properly describes the relationship between the load per unit area and the extent of CF. Further, it was clarified that the average CF width over the entire circumference of the sample was the same whether the samples were round or square as long as the sample area and load were the same. We also observed a linear relationship between the CF width and the aspect ratio of oval and rectangular samples. These results indicated that the CF properties of typical TDDS products lacking CF-proof processing at the edges could be determined by testing samples cut from the product rather than the whole TDDS patch. The proposed width measuring method was simple and useful for optimizing the composition of the adhesive and for testing the quality of the product.

Development of liposomal anticancer drugs.

Liposomes are drug delivery systems that can alter the pharmacokinetic properties of compounds. The adverse effects of anticancer agents are a limiting factor for cancer chemotherapy, therefore, liposomal formulations have the potential to improve the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents by enhancing their accumulation in tumors and reducing non-selective distribution to normal tissues, which is known as the enhanced permeability and retention effect. To develop a liposomal anticancer agent as a drug product, its formulation must be designed to ensure its quality until it is administered to patients and to exert maximum potency in clinical use rather than in animal experiments. The chemical stability and physicochemical stability of the ingredients are key factors in the design of liposomal formulations. Drug release rates are critical factors in the therapeutic efficacy of liposomal drug products because the encapsulated drug has no pharmacological activity, and only released drug can exert antitumor/toxic activities. Liposomes should maintain the drug in a stable state in the circulation and then promptly release it after accumulation in the target tissue in order to achieve a sufficient drug concentration. To understand the profile of the formulation and to guarantee the quality of drug product, a reliable analytical method that can determine the released and encapsulated drugs in biological fluids is required. Simple online solid phase extractions of the released and encapsulated drugs using a column-switching HPLC system meet the requirements and this system enables accurate in vitro release testing and in vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation. This review introduces the process of liposomal drug product development from various viewpoints.