In Situ Forming, Enzyme-Responsive Peptoid-Peptide Hydrogels: An Advanced Long-Acting Injectable Drug Delivery System.

Long-acting drug delivery systems are promising platforms to improve patient adherence to medication by delivering drugs over sustained periods and removing the need for patients to comply with oral regimens. This research paper provides a proof-of-concept for the development of a new optimized in situ forming injectable depot based on a tetrabenzylamine-tetraglycine-d-lysine-O-phospho-d-tyrosine peptoid-D-peptide formulation ((NPhe)4GGGGk(AZT)y(p)-OH). The chemical versatility of the peptoid-peptide motif allows low-molecular-weight drugs to be precisely and covalently conjugated. After subcutaneous injection, a hydrogel depot forms from the solubilized peptoid-peptide-drug formulation in response to phosphatase enzymes present within the skin space. This system is able to deliver clinically relevant concentrations of a model drug, the antiretroviral zidovudine (AZT), for 35 days in Sprague-Dawley rats. Oscillatory rheology demonstrated that hydrogel formation began within ∼30 s, an important characteristic of in situ systems for reducing initial drug bursts. Gel formation continued for up to ∼90 min. Small-angle neutron scattering data reveal narrow-radius fibers (∼0.78-1.8 nm) that closely fit formation via a flexible cylinder elliptical model. The inclusion of non-native peptoid monomers and D-variant amino acids confers protease resistance, enabling enhanced biostability to be demonstrated in vitro. Drug release proceeds via hydrolysis of an ester linkage under physiological conditions, releasing the drug in an unmodified form and further reducing the initial drug burst. Subcutaneous administration of (NPhe)4GGGGk(AZT)y(p)-OH to Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in zidovudine blood plasma concentrations within the 90% maximal inhibitory concentration (IC90) range (30-130 ng mL-1) for 35 days.

A Novel Validated GC-MS/MS Method for the Estimation of N-Nitroso Dimethyl Amine and N-Nitroso Diethyl Amine in Zidovudine.

A novel method has been developed for the estimation of N-Nitroso dimethyl amine impurities (NDMA) and N-Nitroso diethyl amine (NDEA) in Zidovudine by using Gas chromatograph Triple Quadrupole Mass with Liquid autosampler (GC-MS/MS) and the method is validated as per International Conference on Harmonization recommendations. Sample analysis was executed for Zidovudine by developed method. Both NDMA and NDEA were detected in below quantitation limit for the Zidovudine batches. Efficient chromatographic separation was achieved on a DB-WAX 30 m length × 0.25 mm internal diameter, 0.5-µm film thickness, Triple quad-8040 GC-MS/MS. Quantification was carried out at Triple quad electron ionization source was at a column flow of 1.5 mL/min at a column oven temperature 50°C. The precision was in the range of 0.9-2.5% for NDMA and 0.8-2.3% for NDEA, and regression analysis shows as r value (correlation coefficient) of is >0.99. This method is capable to detect the NDMA and NDEA impurities in Zidovudine at a level of 0.006 ppm for limit of detection and 0.018 ppm for limit of quantitation with respect to test concentration of 66.66 mg/mL.

Rapid simultaneous analysis of anti human immunodeficiency virus drugs in pharmaceutical formulation by smart spectrophotometry based on multivariate calibration and least squares support vector machine methods.

In this study, two chemometrics methods, including partial least squares regression (PLS) and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) were applied for the simultaneous determination of zidovudine (ZDV) and lamivudine (LMV) in synthetic mixtures and anti-HIV pharmaceutical formulation. These approaches along with the spectrophotometric method were used to solve spectral overlapping problems between mentioned components. The results of PLS showed that the number of components for ZDV and LMV were 10 and 10 with mean square prediction error (MSPE) of 0.4045 and 2.1189, respectively. This method revealed recoveries ranging from 99.48% to 100.40% and 99.55% to 101.25% for ZDV and LMV, respectively. By applying leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO-CV), γ (regularization parameter) and σ2 (width of the function) values were found to be 50, 1500 and 210, 20 with root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.6156 and 0.3163 for ZDV and LMV, respectively. The mean recoveries obtained by the LS-SVM were 100.82% and 98.93% for ZDV and LMV, respectively. A comparison between the suggested methods and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a reference technique was implemented, which did not show a significant difference. The results obtained in this research revealed that the chemometrics approaches can be efficient, simple, inexpensive, and precise for routine analysis and quality control of the drug.

Solid dispersions based on chitosan/hypromellose phthalate blends to modulate pharmaceutical properties of zidovudine.

Zidovudine (AZT) has been widely used alone or in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus. Its erratic oral bioavailability necessitates frequent administration of high doses, resulting in severe side effects. In this study, the design of mucoadhesive solid dispersions (SDs) based on chitosan (CS) and hypromellose phthalate (HP) was rationalized as a potential approach to modulate AZT physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties. SDs were prepared at different drug:polymer ratios, using an eco-friendly technique, which avoids the use of organic solvents. Particles with diameter from 56 to 73 µm and negative zeta potentials (-27 to -32 mV) were successfully prepared, achieving high drug content. Infrared spectroscopy revealed interactions between polymers but no interactions between the polymers and AZT. Calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that AZT was amorphized into the SDs. The mucoadhesive properties of SDs were evidenced, and the control of AZT release rates from the matrix was achieved, mainly in acid media. The simple, low-cost, and scalable technology proposed for production of SDs as a carrier platform for AZT is an innovative approach, and it proved to be a feasible strategy for modulation the physico-chemical, mucoadhesive, and release properties of the drug.

Development of Triazoles and Triazolium Salts Based on AZT and Their Anti-Viral Activity against HIV-1.

We report herein a set of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) derivatives based on triazoles and triazolium salts for HIV-1 infection. The compounds were synthesized via click chemistry with Cu(I) and Ru(II) catalysts. Triazolium salts were synthesized by reaction with methyl iodide or methyl triflate in good yields. The antiviral activity of the compounds was tested using two methodologies: In method one the activity was measured on infected cells; in method two a pre-exposure prophylaxis experimental model was employed. For method one the activity of the compounds was moderate, and in general the triazolium salts showed a decreased activity in relation to their triazole precursors. With method two the antiviral activity was higher. All compounds were able to decrease the infection, with two compounds able to clear almost all the infection, while a lower antiviral activity was noted for the triazolium salts. These results suggest that these drugs could play an important role in the development of pre-exposure prophylaxis therapies.

Mechanisms of the Antiproliferative and Antitumor Activity of Novel Telomerase-Carbonic Anhydrase Dual-Hybrid Inhibitors.

Human (h) telomerase (TL; EC 2.7.7.49) plays a key role in sustaining cancer cells by means of elongating telomeric repeats at the 3' ends of chromosomes. Since TL-inhibitor (TI) stand-alone cancer therapy has been proven to be remarkably challenging, a polypharmacological approach represents a valid alternative. Here we consider a series of compounds able to inhibit both hTL and the tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1) IX and XII. Compounds 7 and 9 suppressed hTL activity in both cell lysates and human colon cancer cell lines, and prolonged incubation with either 7 or 9 resulted in telomere shortening, cell cycle arrest, replicative senescence, and apoptosis. Enzyme kinetics showed that 7 and 9 are mixed-type inhibitors of the binding of DNA primers and deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) to the TL catalytic subunit hTERT, which is in agreement with docking experiments. Compound 9 showed antitumor activity in Colo-205 mouse xenografts and suppressed telomerase activity by telomere reduction.

Enhancement of the transdermal delivery of zidovudine by pretreating the skin with two physical enhancers: microneedles and sonophoresis.

BACKGROUND: Zidovudine (AZT) has been the most widely used drug for antiretroviral therapy. In order to improve the therapy with this drug, different alternatives have been proposed, such as the transdermal administration. The use of permeation enhancers is necessary to favor the passage of this drug through the skin, due to its physicochemical properties and to the natural permeation barrier imposed by the skin. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of two permeation enhancers, sonophoresis and microneedles, on the permeability of AZT through the skin. METHODS: Permeation studies with an AZT solution were performed using pigskin clamped in Franz-type cells. Sonophoresis was applied under different conditions (i.e., amplitude, duty cycle and application time), selected according to an experimental design, where the response variables were the increase in temperature of the skin surface and the increase in transepidermal water loss. ATR-FTIR was also used to demonstrate the effect of enhancers on membrane components. RESULTS: The permeability of AZT through intact skin was very poor, with a very long lag time. Pretreatment of the skin with sonophoresis increased AZT transport significantly, reducing the lag time. The maximum flux (27.52 µgcm-2 h-1) and the highest total amount permeated (about 624 µg/cm2) were obtained when applying sonophoresis in continuous mode, with an amplitude of 20%, and an application time of 2 min. Sonophoresis appears to have an impact on stratum corneum proteins. The use of microneedles further increased the flux (30.41 µgcm-2 h-1) and the total amount permeated (about 916 µg/cm2), relative to sonophoresis. CONCLUSION: The results are encouraging in terms of promoting AZT transport through the skin using sonophoresis or microneedles as permeation enhancers.

Azidothymidine "Clicked" into 1,2,3-Triazoles: First Report on Carbonic Anhydrase-Telomerase Dual-Hybrid Inhibitors.

Cancer cells rely on the enzyme telomerase (EC 2.7.7.49) to promote cellular immortality. Telomerase inhibitors (i.e., azidothymidine) can represent promising antitumor agents, although showing high toxicity when administered alone. Better outcomes were observed within a multipharmacological approach instead. In this context, we exploited the validated antitumor targets carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1) IX and XII to attain the first proof of concept on CA-telomerase dual-hybrid inhibitors. Compounds 1b, 7b, 8b, and 11b showed good in vitro inhibition potency against the CAs IX and XII, with KI values in the low nanomolar range, and strong antitelomerase activity in PC-3 and HT-29 cells (IC50 values ranging from 5.2 to 9.1 µM). High-resolution X-ray crystallography on selected derivatives in the adduct with hCA II as a model study allowed to determine their binding modes and thus to set the structural determinants necessary for further development of compounds selectively targeting the tumoral cells.

Novel delivery based anionic linear globular dendrimerg2-zidovudine nano-conjugate significantly decreased retroviral activity.

Human diseases like viral organisms for example, hepatitis, HIV and etc., attack the health and caused large mortality in populations by many years. So finding novel delivery vehicles based antiviral drugs employing nano-materials is of high universal interest. In current approach a very biocompatible biodegradable nano-biopolymer anionic linear globular dendrimer second generation G2 was elaborately conjugated to a well-known anti-HIV drug Azidovudine and thereafter was characterized by different analytical techniques like AFM, Zeta sizer, 1HNMR, FTIR and LC-Mass spectroscopy. Then, Anionic Linear Globular DendrimerG2-Zidovudine Nano-Conjugate was assessed on human normal cells (toxicity assay by XTT test) and also HIV cell model and the results showed that Anionic Linear Globular DendrimerG2-Zidovudine Nano-Conjugate Significantly Decreased Retroviral Activity without any human cell toxicity respectively. Based on current experimental data such nano-compositions is proposed for further in vivo anti-HIV assays as well.

Zidovudine Glycosylation by Filamentous Fungi Leads to a Better Redox Stability and Improved Cytotoxicity in B16F10 Murine Melanoma Cells.

BACKGROUND: The strategic development of therapeutic agents, capable of being targeted at their active sites, has been a major goal in treatment of cancer. The delivery of drugs for tumors has as its main challenge the development of safe and effective drugs, since the goal of chemotherapy is to eliminate the tumor completely without affecting healthy cells. The aim of present study was to investigate the antioxidant, anticancer activities of zidovudine and its α-O-glycosylated derivative obtained by biosynthesis of a filamentous fungi, Cunninghamela echinulata. METHODS: An evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of zidovudine and its α-O-glycosylated was performed in fibroblasts and melanoma cells by the tetrazolium reduction method (MTT) and the antioxidant activity of this derivative was observed. RESULTS: The antioxidant activity of zidovudine demonstrated an electrochemical oxidation potential of 0.91V, while the α-O-glycosylated derivative did not exhibit any antioxidant activity. The zidovudine exhibited low cytotoxicity for melanoma and fibroblast cells, while the α-O-glycosylated derivative presented better cytotoxicity on melanoma cells at a concentration of 10mg. mL-1. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the specific cytotoxicity of the glycoconjugate and suggests that glycosylation by biosynthesis can be a useful strategy for obtaining new anticancer compounds.

Antibacterial AZT derivative regulates metastasis of breast cancer cells.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) with anticancer activity have drawn remarkable attention in modern treatments. However, long peptide length and protease instability are the most addressing factors, which hampers their further development as therapeutic agents. In view of this, herein, we designed and synthesized a series of AZT-based cationic small molecule incorporating a variety of hydrophobic groups and cationic charges, including amine and guanidine groups to mimic the amphipathic structure of AMPs. These compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Through an extensive structure activity relationship study (SAR), we identified ADG-2e as the most potent antibacterial agent, which exhibited remarkable potency against drug resistant bacterial strains such as MRSA and MDRPA. Further, ADG-2e was examined for their anti-metastatic ability by investigating the cancer cell migration and invasiveness through scratch wound-healing assay and transwell invasive assay, respectively. In addition, time-lapse cell tracking analysis also performed for analyzing the cell movement pattern. Treatment of ADG-2e against metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) suppressed tumor cell migration by multi-directional lamellipodium formation, indicating their anti-metastatic potential. Thus, our cationic AZT based small molecules may evolve as an appealing class of antibacterial agents with anti-metastasis potential.

In situ microemulsion-gel obtained from bioadhesive hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films for transdermal administration of zidovudine.

This study aims to develop in situ microemulsion-gel (ME-Gel) obtained from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) films for transdermal administration of Zidovudine (AZT). Firstly, HPMC films containing propylene glycol (PG) and eucalyptus oil (EO) were obtained and characterized. Later, a pseudo-ternary phase diagram composed of water, EO, tween 80 and PG was obtained and one microemulsion (ME) with a similar proportion of the film components was obtained. ME was transformed in ME-Gel by the incorporation of HPMC. Finally, HPMC films were hydrated with Tween 80 solution to yield in situ ME-Gel and its effect on AZT skin permeation was compared with HPMC film hydrated with water (F5hyd). The results showed that the ME and ME-Gel presented a droplet size of 16.79 and 122.13 µm, respectively, polydispersity index (PDI) < 0.39 and pH between 5.10 and 5.40. The incorporation of HPMC resulted in viscosity about 2 times higher than the use of ME. The presence of AZT did not alter the formulation properties. The in situ ME-Gel promoted a two-fold increase in the permeated amount of AZT compared to F5hyd. The results suggest that it was possible to obtain an ME-Gel in situ from HPMC films and that its effect on transdermal permeation of AZT was significant.

New phosphazine and phosphazide derivatives as multifunctional ligands targeting acetylcholinesterase and ß-Amyloid aggregation for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Phosphazine and phosphazide derivatives are described herein as a new class of selective and potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and ß-amyloid aggregation inhibitors. Phosphazines (5-7) were synthesized smoothly via a redox-condensation reaction of 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane with different amines derivatives in the presence of dialkyl azodicarboxylate (Staudinger reaction) while phosphazides (8) via electrophilic attack of azido derivatives. Structures of the synthesized compounds were justified on the basis of compatible elementary and spectroscopic analyses. All the compounds were evaluated for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. The most three potent compounds (5b-c and 8b) showing AChE IC50 values (29.85-34.96 nM) comparable to that of donepezil (34.42 nM) were subjected to further investigation by testing their butyrylcholinesterase, MMP-2 and self-induced Aß aggregation inhibition activity. Especially, the coumarin phosphazide derivative (8b) presented the best AChE inhibition selectivity index (IC50 = 34.96 nM, AChE/BuChE; 3.81) together with good inhibition ability against MMP-2 (IC50 = 441.33 nM) and self-induced Aß1-42 aggregation (IC50 = 337.77 nM). In addition, the inhibition of metal-induced Aß aggregation by 8b was confirmed by thioflavine T fluorescence. The most potent effect of 8b was observed on the Zn2+-induced Aß42 aggregation. Kinetic study of compound 8b suggested it to be a competitive AChE inhibitor. Also, it specifically chelates metal and is predicted to be permeable to BBB. It also possesses low toxicity on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells with a safety index of 15.37. In addition, it was demonstrated that compound 8b can improve the cognitive impairment of scopolamine-induced model in mice with % alternations and transfer latency time comparable to that of donepezil. Also, a docking study was carried out and it was in accordance with the in vitro results. These promising in vitro and in vivo findings highlight compound 8b as a possible drug candidate in searching for new multifunctional AD drugs.

Synthesis and evaluation of the anti-hepatitis B virus activity of 4'-Azido-thymidine analogs and 4'-Azido-2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine analogs: structural insights for the development of a novel anti-HBV agent.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major worldwide health problem that requires the development of improved antiviral therapies. Here, a series of 4'-Azido-thymidine/4'-Azido-2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine derivatives (6, 10-15) were synthesized, and their anti-HBV activities evaluated. Compounds 10-15 were synthesized via an SNAr reaction of 18, in which the 4-position of the thymine moiety was activated as the 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonate. Compounds 11-15 showed no antiviral activity. However, 4'-Azido thymidine (6) and 4'-Azido-2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine (10) displayed significant anti-HBV activity (EC50 = 0.63 and 5.99 µM, respectively) with no detectable cytotoxicity against MT-2 cells up to 100 µM.

The Anticancer Efficacy of Platinum Azidothymidin on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Via Affecting the Telomerase and the BcL-2 Genes Expression.

PURPOSE: The study of correlation between cancer biomarkers after treatment with anticancer drugs would represent a promising insight into the effectiveness of the drug. METHODS: In this study, after induction of hepatocellular carcinoma, rats were divided into four groups: groups A and B as healthy or control group and negative untreated cancer group respectively; groups C and D were treated with platinum azido-thymidine (0.9 mg/kg/day), a novel anti-cancer drug, and azido-thymidine (AZT) (0.3 mg/kg/day) respectively. After induction of cancer, the telomerase and Bcl-2 expression were evaluated by real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and also Bcl-2 concentration and telomerase activity were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) respectively. RESULTS: A significant correlation was observed between telomerase and Bcl-2 in untreated HCC-induced rats as compared to the control group. In untreated cancer group, a direct significant correlation between telomerase activity and expression (r = 0.453, p = 0.022*) and also a negative significant correlation between telomerase activity and Bcl-2 concentration (r = - 0.43, p = 0.034*) and also between telomerase and Bcl-2 expression (r = - 0.088, p = 0.006*) was observed. In drug-treated groups, there was a significant negative correlation between telomerase expression and Bcl-2 concentration (r = - 0.45, p = 0.025) only in the AZT-treated groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated a correlation between cancer factors in the untreated cancerous group B and in treated groups only limited to the azithoimidin-treated group (group D). Hence, it may be possible to use this strategy to develop remarkable anticancer drugs in future studies, though this hypothesis requires more in-depth research.

Could spray-dried microbeads with chitosan glutamate be considered as promising vaginal microbicide carriers? The effect of process variables on the in vitro functional and physicochemical characteristics.

In order to improve efficacy and accessibility of vaginal microbicides, development of smart polymer-based delivery carriers appears essential. In scope of this study, the potential of chitosan glutamate in technology of microbicide multiunit formulations containing zidovudine-loaded microbeads was investigated. Spray-drying optimization was supported by statistical design of experiments. As polymer properties may alter upon processing, particularly important was to examine the influence of product composition and process variables on final microbeads characteristic. Data from ATR-FTIR, Raman, and DSC analysis confirmed drug compatibility with chitosan glutamate after spray-drying. Formulations with polymer:drug ratio 5:1 (w/w) prepared from azeotropic ethanol-water mixture were found to spread easily upon dilution with simulant vaginal fluid, forming viscous, shear-thinning barrier, which could impede direct contact of virus with mucus cells. Furthermore, the presence of ethanol was found crucial to overcome stickiness phenomenon by interrupting hydrogen bonding between drug and polymer. In vitro dissolution studies displayed an initial burst effect followed with prolonged (up to 4 h) drug release stage. By modifying spray-drying temperature, alterations in microbeads' swelling capacity and drug release were observed. Cytotoxicity studies using human vaginal cell line VK2/E6E7 revealed that drug-free formulations exerted no significant impact on mucosal cells, suggesting they are safe for vaginal delivery.

Increasing the anticancer activity of azidothymidine toward the breast cancer via rational design of magnetic drug carrier based on molecular imprinting technology.

Cancer treatment based anticancer drugs face serious obstacles. To prevail these obstacles, an effective targeted drug carrier can be imperative. This study aimed to design rationally an imprinting strategy for the carrying of a model anticancer drug, Azidothymidine via molecular imprinting technology. Considering the identity and affinity of monomers and cross-linkers to AZT, this work succeeded to establish an exclusive procedure to significantly improve the process of imprinting the Azidothymidine. Imprinting process was carried out on the surface of vinyl-modified silica coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles toward the delivery of azidothymidine to targeted tissue by external magnetic field. The resultant carrier was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, VSM, FESEM, EDX, BET, TGA. The AZT loading process on the nanocarrier is followed with Freundlich adsorption isotherm (QMAX:170 mg/g) and pseudo-second order fast adsorption kinetic (5 min). The release process of AZT from nanocarrier was fitted with First-Order and Higuchi dynamic model. Eventually, the involvement of magnetic nanocarrier was investigated on apoptosis in MCF-7 (cancer cell line) and MCF-10 (normal cell line). The cytotoxicity percentage on MCF-7 cells for magnetic nanocarrier was about 49 times greater than the azidothymidine, but did not affect MCF-10 cells. The corresponding results appropriately disclosed that the cytotoxicity of proposed nanocarrier on MCF-7 cells is through the caspase3 activity. The drug loading and release process as well as in-vitro studies of magnetic carrier were compared with bare carrier. This study indicates that the proposed magnetic carrier can be used as a promising drug carrier toward the breast cancer treatment.

Application of Mn-Cu Helical Star-Shaped (Pine-Tree-Like) Sculpted Thin Films with Different Symmetries Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).

In this work, the surface engineering method is used to produce Mn helical star-shaped (pine-tree-like) nanosculptured thin films with three-, four-, and fivefold symmetries on Cu substrates using an oblique angle deposition technique together with rotation of the sample holder at certain angles. Nano structure and morphologies of the produced samples were obtained by means of atomic force microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope. Raman spectroscopy of the Mn/Cu samples impregnated by 4,4'-bipyridine (C10H8N2) solution with different concentrations, zidovudine (C10H13N5O4), and L-histidine (C6H9N3O2) was performed using 532 nm laser wavelength. A high degree of enhancement is achieved on Raman spectroscopy of all of these specimens. Comparison of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) results for 4,4' bipyridine (bipy) obtained in this work with the published literature using Ag and Au substrates in different shapes showed a significant enhancement improvement by using Mn sculptured structures. Reduction of the bipy concentration changed the enhancement factor. Enhancement factors of 107 and 105 were obtained for threefold symmetry sample using 2.885 × 10-2 and 10-3 mol L-1 bipy concentrations, respectively. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy results of this work show that Mn nanostructures designed and engineered in this work can not only replace Ag and Au materials, but also provide a much higher enhancement factor.

Versatile iron-catechol-based nanoscale coordination polymers with antiretroviral ligand functionalization and their use as efficient carriers in HIV/AIDS therapy.

A novel chemical approach integrating the benefits of nanoparticles with versatility of coordination chemistry is reported herein to increase the effectiveness of well-known HIV antiretroviral drugs. The novelty of our approach is illustrated using a catechol ligand tethered to the known antiretroviral azidothymidine (AZT) as a constitutive building block of the nanoparticles. The resulting nanoscale coordination polymers (NCPs) ensure good encapsulation yields and equivalent antiretroviral activity while significantly diminishing its cytotoxicity. Moreover, this novel family of nanoparticles also offers (i) long-lasting drug release that is dissimilar inside and outside the cells depending on pH, (ii) triggered release in the presence of esterases, activating the antiviral activity in an on-off manner due to a proper chemical design of the ligand and (iii) improved colloidal stabilities and cellular uptakes (up to 50-fold increase). The presence of iron nodes also adds multifunctionality as possible contrast agents. The present study demonstrates the suitability of NCPs bearing pharmacologically active ligands as an alternative to conventional antiretroviral treatments.

Novel core-shell dextran hybrid nanosystem for anti-viral drug delivery.

Zidovudine (AZT) is an antiviral drug extensively used for combating the global pandemic- HIV/AIDS. However, its uses are overshadowed by its short half -life, poor aqueous solubility and inability to cross physiological barriers. This study highlights a nanosystem consisting of dextran and stearic acid for AZT delivery. This hybrid nanoparticle was prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method. The morphological analysis of the prepared nanoparticles was carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and structural analysis through FTIR spectroscopy. Haemolysis, blood cell aggregation and cytotoxicity evaluations were also performed. These biological evaluations indicated that the nanoparticles were compatible and fluorescence microscopy studies demonstrated increased cellular internalization of drug loaded hybrid nanoparticles when compared with free drug molecules. The experimental outcomes indicate that the prepared nanoparticles are highly biocompatible haemocompatible and effective in getting internalized into cells of neural origin. These results highlight the feasibility and efficacy of the hybrid nanoparticles for effective delivery of zidovudine.