Optimization of a validated stability-indicating RP-LC method for the determination of fulvestrant from polymeric based nanoparticle systems, drugs and biological samples.

Fulvestrant is used for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following anti-estrogen therapy. Several reversed-phase columns with variable silica materials, diameters, lengths, etc., were tested for the optimization study. A good chromatographic separation was achieved using a Waters X-Terra RP(18) column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d. × 5 µm) and a mobile phase, consisting of a mixture of acetonitrile-water (65:35; v/v) containing phosphoric acid (0.1%). The separation was carried out 40 °C with detection at 215 nm.The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range between 1.0-300 and 1.0-200 µg/mL for standard solutions and biological media, respectively. The proposed method is accurate and reproducible. Forced degradation studies were also realized. This fully validated method allows the direct determination of fulvestrant in dosage form and biological samples. The average recovery of the added fulvestrant amount in the samples was between 98.22 and 104.03%. The proposed method was also applied for the determination of fulvestrant from the polymeric-based nanoparticle systems. No interference from using polymers and other excipients was observed in in vitro drug release studies. Therefore an incorporation efficiency of fulvestrant-loaded nanoparticle could be determined accurately and specifically.

Highly selective and sensitive molecularly imprinted sensors for the electrochemical assay of quercetin in methanol extracts of Rubus sanctus and Fragaria vesca.

Quercetin (QUE) is a powerful antioxidant and one of the common phenolic compounds found in plants, vegetables, and fruits, which has shown many pharmacological activities. The complex nature of the matrix in which QUE is found and its importance and potential uses in diverse applications force the researchers to develop selective and sensitive sensors. In the present work, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical sensor was fabricated for the selective and sensitive determination of the QUE in plant extracts and food supplements. Tryptophan methacrylate (TrpMA) was chosen as the functional monomer, whereas the photopolymerization (PP) method was applied using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Electrochemical and morphological characterizations of the developed sensor (TrpMA@QUE/MIP-GCE) were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The linear range of the developed sensor was determined to be in the range of 1.0-25 pM, while the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 0.235 pM. In conclusion, The TrpMA@QUE/MIP-GCE sensor might be classified as a promising platform for selective and sensitive determination of QUE not only in plant extracts but also in commercial food supplements because of its reliability, reproducibility, repeatability, stability, and fast response time.

Development of salting-out extraction methodology for the determination of piroxicam from polymeric based nanocarriers and biological samples.

The aim of the present study is to develop the polymeric nanoparticulate drug delivery systems of piroxicam and to evaluate the in-vitro characteristics such as entrapment efficiency, surface morphology, in-vitro drug release performance, etc. For this reason, a novel HPLC methodology was developed for the determination of piroxicam from its bulk form, pharmaceutical preparation, and nanoparticulate delivery systems. Furthermore, the developed formulation was applied to the rats and the biological samples (plasma, liver, heart, spleen, kidney, and lung homogenates) were analyzed by the developed HPLC method following a salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction strategy for the first time in the literature. A Kinetex C18 analytical column (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 µm) was used as a stationary phase with a 0.8 mL/min flow rate of acetonitrile: phosphate buffer (40:60, v/v), the column oven was adjusted to 40 °C and detection wavelength is set to 360 nm. Developed method were validated as per selectivity, linearity, LOD, LOQ, precision, and accuracy specified in the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines. As a result of the present study, it has been shown that the analysis of piroxicam from the bulk form, pharmaceutical preparation, developed polymeric-based drug delivery system, and biological samples can be successfully performed and no interferences were observed in any matrix. The developed method was also successfully utilized to study the tissue distribution of piroxicam in rats.

Application of cellulose 3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate covalently immobilized on superficially porous silica for the separation of enantiomers in high-performance liquid chromatography.

Our earlier studies have demonstrated the applicability of polysaccharide-based chiral selectors in combination with superficially porous (or core-shell) silica (SPS) particles for the preparation of highly efficient chiral stationary phases (CSP). In earlier studies, CSPs were prepared by coating (adsorption) of the chiral selector onto the surface of silica. In this study we report for the first time the CSP obtained by covalent immobilization of a chiral selector onto the surface of SPS particles. The applicability of this CSP for the separation of enantiomers in pure methanol and acetonitrile, as well as in n-hexane/2-propanol mobile phases is shown. The effect of the injected sample amount, mobile phase flow rate and detection frequency on separation performance were studied, as well as high efficiency separation of enantiomers with the analysis time less than 30 s was attempted.

Separation and elution order of the enantiomers of some ß-agonists using polysaccharide-based chiral columns and normal phase eluents by high-performance liquid chromatography.

In this study separation of enantiomers of 8 chiral ß-agonists were studied on 6 polysaccharide-based chiral columns in polar-organic and alcohol-hydrocarbon mobile phases. No separation of enantiomers was observed on any column with polar-organic mobile phase eluents such as pure methanol, ethanol or acetonitrile. Most of the chiral analytes were resolved into enantiomers when alcohol-hydrocarbon type mobile phases were used. The most successful column was Lux Cellulose-2 on which all 8 chiral analytes were baseline resolved into enantiomers at least with one mobile phase used. The reversal of enantiomer elution order was observed dependent on the chemistry of the chiral selector and the composition of the mobile phase.

A selective and sensitive stability-indicating HPLC method for the validated assay of etoposide from commercial dosage form and polymeric tubular nanocarriers.

Etoposide is a topoisomerase II enzyme inhibitor type chemotherapeutic agent which is widely used in the therapy of various cancers. Its short half-life and toxicity to normal tissues are the major drawbacks in its clinical applications. Polymeric nanoparticulate drug delivery systems are rational carriers to deliver etoposide with higher efficiency and fewer side effects. In addition tubular shaped drug carriers are found to show a great potential for drug delivery on the basis of promising results regarding particle shape and cellular uptake. In this study, etoposide loaded polymeric tubular nanocarriers have been developed by template wetting method using porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes as templates. The developed poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocarriers were evaluated for structural analysis, in vitro drug release studies and drug release kinetics. Accurate and reliable determination of the drug release from newly developed nanocarriers, is of great importance. For this reason a selective and sensitive reversed phase liquid chromatography method was developed and fully validated from the point of system suitability, specificity, linearity and range, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, accuracy and robustness for the reliable determination of etoposide. Stability indicating capability was shown with forced degradation studies and the chromatographic conditions were optimized on ACE 5C18 (150 mm × 4.6mm I.D., 5 µm) analytical column. Related to the calibration results ETP was found linear in the range between 0.2 from 100 µg mL(-1) with the LOD as 0.015 µg.mL(-1). The resultant conditions were applied for the selective and sensitive determination of etoposide from its commercial dosage form with the high accuracy values (99.82-100.65%). The method was successfully detected assay of etoposide release from newly developed polymeric tubular nanocarriers, which was found as 72.2% at the end of 24h.

Preparation and characterization of chitosan-based spray-dried microparticles for the delivery of clindamycin phosphate to periodontal pockets.

Biodegradable spray-dried chitosan microparticles loaded with clindamycin phosphate (CDP) were formulated to deliver drugs locally into the periodontal pocket. The effects of spray dryer conditions, drug/polymer ratio, and added amounts of glutaraldehyde (GA) solution on the characterization of microparticles were investigated by determining process yield, encapsulation efficiency, particle size and size distribution, surface morphology, drug release, release kinetics, thermal analysis, and antimicrobial efficacy of formulations. Burst release was obtained for all formulations due to the water solubility of the drug, but the increased amount of chitosan decreased the drug release rates. Microparticles with a more wrinkled surface were obtained by increasing the amount of the drug. Incorporation efficiencies higher than 80% were obtained for all preparation conditions. The addition of GA caused higher viscosity of the chitosan solution, leading to larger particles with more spherical and smooth surface characteristics. However, the increased GA amount did not significantly influence the drug release. The data obtained from in vitro release experiments were best fitted to the Weibull and Higuchi models. The amorphous nature of the drug-loaded microparticles was detected by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) thermographs. A delayed drug release of more than one week could be obtained by loading the drug into the chitosan microparticles. Antimicrobial efficacy studies reflected a positive drug release profile. These results indicate that spray-dried clindamycin-loaded microparticles with sustained antimicrobial efficacy appear to be a promising periodontal therapy for drug delivery into the periodontal pocket.