How the Presence of Crystalline Phase Affects Structural Relaxation in Molecular Liquids: The Case of Amorphous Indomethacin.

The influence of partial crystallinity on the structural relaxation behavior of low-molecular organic glasses is, contrary to, e.g., polymeric materials, a largely unexplored territory. In the present study, differential scanning calorimetry was used to prepare a series of amorphous indomethacin powders crystallized to various extents. The preparations stemmed from the two distinct particle size fractions: 50-125 µm and 300-500 µm. The structural relaxation data from the cyclic calorimetric measurements were described in terms of the phenomenological Tool-Narayanaswamy-Moynihan model. For the 300-500 µm powder, the crystalline phase forming dominantly on the surface led to a monotonous decrease in the glass transition by ~6 °C in the 0-70% crystallinity range. The activation energy of the relaxation motions and the degree of heterogeneity within the relaxing matrix were not influenced by the increasing crystallinity, while the interconnectivity slightly increased. This behavior was attributed to the release of the quenched-in stresses and to the consequent slight increase in the structural interconnectivity. For the 50-125 µm powder, distinctly different relaxation dynamics were observed. This leads to a conclusion that the crystalline phase grows throughout the bulk glassy matrix along the internal micro-cracks. At higher crystallinity, a sharp increase in Tg, an increase in interconnectivity, and an increase in the variability of structural units engaged in the relaxation motions were observed.

New End-to-End Strategy Based on DeepLabv3+ Semantic Segmentation for Human Head Detection.

In the field of computer vision, object detection consists of automatically finding objects in images by giving their positions. The most common fields of application are safety systems (pedestrian detection, identification of behavior) and control systems. Another important application is head/person detection, which is the primary material for road safety, rescue, surveillance, etc. In this study, we developed a new approach based on two parallel Deeplapv3+ to improve the performance of the person detection system. For the implementation of our semantic segmentation model, a working methodology with two types of ground truths extracted from the bounding boxes given by the original ground truths was established. The approach has been implemented in our two private datasets as well as in a public dataset. To show the performance of the proposed system, a comparative analysis was carried out on two deep learning semantic segmentation state-of-art models: SegNet and U-Net. By achieving 99.14% of global accuracy, the result demonstrated that the developed strategy could be an efficient way to build a deep neural network model for semantic segmentation. This strategy can be used, not only for the detection of the human head but also be applied in several semantic segmentation applications.

N-acetylcysteine Can Induce Massive Oxidative Stress, Resulting in Cell Death with Apoptotic Features in Human Leukemia Cells.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), often used as an antioxidant-scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vitro, was recently shown to increase the cytotoxicity of other compounds through ROS-dependent and ROS-independent mechanisms. In this study, NAC itself was found to induce extensive ROS production in human leukemia HL-60 and U937 cells. The cytotoxicity depends on ROS-modulating enzyme expression. In HL-60 cells, NAC activated NOX2 to produce superoxide (O2•-). Its subsequent conversion into H2O2 by superoxide dismutase 1 and 3 (SOD1, SOD3) and production of ClO- from H2O2 by myeloperoxidase (MPO) was necessary for cell death induction. While the addition of extracellular SOD potentiated NAC-induced cell death, extracellular catalase (CAT) prevented cell death in HL-60 cells. The MPO inhibitor partially reduced the number of dying HL-60 cells. In U937 cells, the weak cytotoxicity of NAC is probably caused by lower expression of NOX2, SOD1, SOD3, and by the absence of MOP expression. However, even here, the addition of extracellular SOD induced cell death in U937 cells, and this effect could be reversed by extracellular CAT. NAC-induced cell death exhibited predominantly apoptotic features in both cell lines. Conclusions: NAC itself can induce extensive production of O2•- in HL-60 and U937 cell lines. The fate of the cells then depends on the expression of enzymes that control the formation and conversion of ROS: NOX, SOD, and MPO. The mode of cell death in response to NAC treatment bears apoptotic and apoptotic-like features in both cell lines.

Multivariate analysis in the development of bioequivalent tablets containing bicalutamide.

The pharmaceutical industry has to tackle the explosion of high amounts of poorly soluble APIs. This phenomenon leads to numerous sophisticated solutions. These include the use of multifactorial data analysis identifying correlations between the components and dosage form properties, laboratory and production process parameters with respect to the API liberation Example of such API is bicalutamide. Improved liberation is achieved by particle size reduction. Laboratory batches, with different PSD of API, were filled into gelatinous capsules and consequently granulated for tablet compression. Comparative dissolution profiles with Casodex 150 mg (Astra Zeneca) were performed. The component analysis was used for the statistical evaluation of f1 and f2 factors and D(v,0.9) and D[4,3] parameters of PSD to identify optimal PSD values. Suitable PSD limits for API were statistically confirmed in laboratory and in commercial scale with respect to optimized tablet properties. The tablets were bioequivalent with originator (n = 20; 90% CI for ln AUC0-120: 99.8-111.9%; 90% CI for ln cmax: 101.1-112.9%). In conclusion, the micronisation of the API is still an efficient and inexpensive method improving the bioavailability, although there are more complicated and expensive methods available. Statistical multifactorial methods improved the safety and reproducibility of production.

Preformulation design of PLGA particulate system for multi-day drug delivery of the antidepressant mirtazapine.

In this experimental study, the biodegradable polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) microparticles (MP) loaded with the insoluble antidepressant mirtazapine were prepared by the simple o/w solvent evaporation method. The formation involved intrinsic variables, such as the content of polymer (700, 900 or 1200 mg), dichloromethane (5 or 10 ml) and/or drug (200 or 400 or 600 mg), and the volume of the aqueous emulsion phase (400, 600 or 800 ml). The influence of these parameters on the size and morphology of microparticles, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release behavior was observed. All MP were successfully prepared, and their size ranged between 165.34 ± 42.88 and 360.17 ± 121.59 μm. MP exhibited prolonged drug release (days), and some profiles had multiphasic character. It was found that the samples prepared with a  higher initial amount of PLGA were bigger with prolonged lag time up to 34.3 hours. On the other hand, higher drug concentrations reduced the lag time. The external phase volume reduction and multiplication of dichloromethane amount prolonged the mirtazapine release and decreased the encapsulation efficiency. These observations were further confirmed by multivariate data analysis.

Estimation of ABCB1 concentration in plasma membrane.

The interaction between ABCB1 transporter and its substrates takes place in cell membranes but the available data precludes quantitative analysis of the interaction between transporter and substrate molecules. Further, the amount of transporter is usually expressed as a number of ABCB1 molecules per cell. In contrast, the substrate concentration in cell membranes is estimated by determination of substrate-lipid partition coefficient, as examples. In this study, we demonstrate an approach, which enables us to estimate the concentration of ABCB1 molecules within plasma membranes. For this purpose, human leukemia K562 cells with varying expression levels of ABCB1 were used: drug selected K562/Dox and K562/HHT cells with very high transporter expression, and K562/DoxDR2, K562/DoxDR1, and K562/DoxDR05 cells with gradually decreased expression of ABCB1 derived from K562/Dox cells using RNA interference technology. First, we determined the absolute amount of ABCB1 in cell lysates using immunoblotting and recombinant ABCB1 as a standard. We then determined the relative portion of transporter residing in the plasma membrane using immunohistochemistry in nonpermeabilized and permeabilized cells. These results enabled us to estimate the concentration of ABCB1 in the plasma membrane in resistant cells. The ABCB1 concentrations in the plasma membrane of drug selected K562/Dox and K562/HHT cells containing the highest amount of transporter reached millimolar levels. Concentrations of ABCB1 in the plasma membrane of resistant K562/DoxDR2, K562/DoxDR1, and K562/DoxDR05 cells with lower transporter expression were proportionally decreased.

Buccal films as a dressing for the treatment of aphthous lesions.

BACKGROUND: Buccal flexible films in the form of solid, thin, mucoadhesive patches can be used as dressings separating aphthous lesions from the environment of the oral cavity, which can in turn shorten the treatment period and reduce the pain perception. METHODS: The clinical study was performed on 36 volunteers suffering from aphthous lesions. The first group was treated using standard means-by application of an oral gel containing cholin salicylate (Mundisal) on the aphthous lesion. The second group was treated with the same preparation; however, the lesion was covered with a mucoadhesive film following the application of the gel. The criteria for statistical evaluation were the size of lesions in relation to the length of the treatment and the subjective perception of the treatment results. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The application of buccal films covering aphthous lesions during the treatment significantly increased the rate of healing when compared with the standard methods of treatment. While the pain improvement was statistically significant as soon as Day 3 in the experimental group, it was only apparent on Day 5 in the control group, and the number of successfully treated patients (pain perception improving to visual analogue scale 2 or less) was at all time points higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The results imply that the use of buccal films for treatment of aphthous lesions is very promising and can lead to a significant reduction in the duration of patients' discomfort.

Apoptosis Induced by the Curcumin Analogue EF-24 Is Neither Mediated by Oxidative Stress-Related Mechanisms nor Affected by Expression of Main Drug Transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2 in Human Leukemia Cells.

The synthetic curcumin analogue, 3,5-bis[(2-fluorophenyl)methylene]-4-piperidinone (EF-24), suppresses NF-κB activity and exhibits antiproliferative effects against a variety of cancer cells in vitro. Recently, it was reported that EF-24-induced apoptosis was mediated by a redox-dependent mechanism. Here, we studied the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on EF-24-induced cell death. We also addressed the question of whether the main drug transporters, ABCB1 and ABCG2, affect the cytotoxic of EF-24. We observed that EF-24 induced cell death with apoptotic hallmarks in human leukemia K562 cells. Importantly, the loss of cell viability was preceded by production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and by a decrease of reduced glutathione (GSH). However, neither ROS production nor the decrease in GSH predominantly contributed to the EF-24-induced cell death. We found that EF-24 formed an adduct with GSH, which is likely the mechanism contributing to the decrease of GSH. Although NAC abrogated ROS production, decreased GSH and prevented cell death, its protective effect was mainly due to a rapid conversion of intra- and extra-cellular EF-24 into the EF-24-NAC adduct without cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, we found that neither overexpression of ABCB1 nor ABCG2 reduced the antiproliferative effects of EF-24. In conclusion, a redox-dependent-mediated mechanism only marginally contributes to the EF-24-induced apoptosis in K562 cells. The main mechanism of NAC protection against EF-24-induced apoptosis is conversion of cytotoxic EF-24 into the noncytotoxic EF-24-NAC adduct. Neither ABCB1 nor ABCG2 mediated resistance to EF-24.

The effect of superdisintegrants on the properties and dissolution profiles of liquisolid tablets containing rosuvastatin.

CONTEXT: The preparation of liquisolid systems (LSS) represents a promising method for enhancing a dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. The release of the drug from LSS tablets is affected by many factors, including the disintegration time. OBJECTIVE: The evaluation of differences among LSS containing varying amounts and types of commercially used superdisintegrants (Kollidon® CL-F, Vivasol® and Explotab®). MATERIALS AND METHODS: LSS were prepared by spraying rosuvastatin solution onto Neusilin® US2 and further processing into tablets. Varying amounts of superdisintegrants were used and the differences among LSS were evaluated. The multiple scatter plot method was used to visualize the relationships within the obtained data. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: All disintegrants do not showed negative effect on the flow properties of powder blends. The type and concentration of superdisintegrant had an impact on the disintegration time and dissolution profiles of tablets. Tablets with Explotab® showed the longest disintegration time and the smallest amount of released drug. Fastest disintegration and dissolution rate were observed in tablets containing Kollidon® CL-F (≥2.5% w/w). Also tablets with Vivasol® (2.5-4.0% w/w) showed fast disintegration and complete drug release. CONCLUSION: Kollidon® CL-F and Vivasol® in concentration ≥2.5% are suitable superdisintegrants for LSS with enhanced release of drug.

Quality by design approach: antioxidant activity of the tablets containing cornelian cherry fruits in relation to their composition and physical properties.

The aim of this study was to prepare tablets containing ground fruits of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) with high antioxidant capacity. The experiment was planned and evaluated on Design of Experiment (DoE) principle using Multivariate Data Analysis (MVA) as modern tools used in Quality by Design (QbD) approach. Various tableting mixtures with three different particle sizes of the plant material (up to 800 µm, more than 800 µm and their mixture) and percentage of silicon dioxide (1, 3 and 5%) were prepared. Tablets with a diameter of 10 mm and mass of 400 mg were subsequently produced from these mixtures using two compression forces (C1=7 kN and C2=14 kN). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) with response surface methodology were used to find the influential process-formulation parameters and describe their optimal settings. Finally, it is possible to say that the increasing level of silicon dioxide and the decreasing particle size of ground cornelian cherry lead to prolongation of disintegration time and increase of radial hardness and abrasion loss. Maximal antioxidant activity was obtained using 5% amount of silicon dioxide, the largest particle size and the low compression force.

The influence of thermal treatment and type of insoluble poly(meth)acrylates on dissolution behavior of very soluble drug from hypromellose matrix tablets evaluated by multivariate data analysis.

Hypromellose matrices exhibit extended burst effect immediately after contact with aqueous medium, especially when a water-soluble drug is incorporated. The objective of this study was to reduce burst effect and maintain complete dissolution of a very soluble levetiracetam over 12 h period from hypromellose K4M matrices to obtain zero-order kinetics. Desired changes were achieved by applying water dispersions of insoluble Eudragits® (NE, NM, RL, RS) as a granulation liquid to the drug/microcrystalline cellulose mixture during high-shear granulation (non-thermal treated set) and consequently by thermally treating granules or final tablets (TT), respectively. Applying Eudragit® water dispersions to the drug/microcrystalline cellulose mixture was recognized as an effective method of significantly reducing the burst release (25.4-33.7%) of levetiracetam in comparison with a reference sample without Eudragit®. Multivariate data analysis showed that the addition of Eudragit® reduced burst effect, increased fitting with zero-order kinetics, and supported matrix erosion as the supplementary mechanism to predominant diffusion. Moreover, resulting PCA sub-model revealed the addition of Eudragit® RL and thermal treatment of tablets to be the most suitable method of all. For a 12 h dissolution profile, characterized by low burst effect and drug release close to 100% at the 12th hour, sample RL_TT was the most suitable.

Long-term controlled release of PLGA microparticles containing antidepressant mirtazapine.

The aim of the study was to prepare PLGA microparticles for prolonged release of mirtazapine by o/w solvent evaporation method and to evaluate effects of PVA concentration and organic solvent choice on microparticles characteristics (encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, burst effect, microparticle morphology). Also in vitro drug release tests were performed and the results were correlated with kinetic model equations to approximate drug release mechanism. It was found that dichloromethane provided microparticles with better qualities (encapsulation efficiency 64.2%, yield 79.7%). Interaction between organic solvent effect and effect of PVA concentration was revealed. The prepared samples released the drug for 5 days with kinetics very close to that of zero order (R(2 )= 0.9549 - 0.9816). According to the correlations, the drug was probably released by a combination of diffusion and surface erosion, enhanced by polymer swelling and chain relaxation.

Can the assessment of ABCB1 gene expression predict its function in vitro?

Increased expression of the ABCB1 gene in cancer cells is usually connected with occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and poor prognosis. However, the correlation between ABCB1 expression and MDR phenotype is difficult to prove in clinical samples. Most of the researchers believe that these difficulties are due to the poor reliability and sensitivity of assays for detection of ABCB1 expression in clinical samples. However, the complexity of P-gp mediated resistance cannot be reduced to the methodical difficulties only. Here, we addressed the question how widely used methods for detection of ABCB1 expression levels could predict its functional activity and thus its contribution to drug resistance in defined conditions in vitro. The ABCB1 expression was assessed at the mRNA level by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and at the protein level by flow cytometry using UIC2 antibody. The ABCB1 function was monitored using a calcein AM accumulation assay. We observed that K562 cells have approximately 320 times higher level of ABCB1 mRNA than HL-60 cells without detectable function. In addition, resistant K562/Dox cells exhibited significantly higher ABCB1 mRNA expression than resistant K562/HHT cells. However, the functional tests clearly indicated opposite results. Flow cytometric assessment of P-gp, although suggested as a reliable method, contradicted the functional test in K562/Dox and K562/HHT cells. We further used a set of MDR cells expressing various levels of P-gp. Similarly here, flow cytometry not always corresponded to the functional analysis. Our results strongly suggest that an approach which exclusively relies on a simple correlation between ABCB1 expression, either at the mRNA level or protein level, and overall resistance may fail to predict actual contribution of P-gp to overall resistance as the data indicating transporter expression reflect its function only roughly even in well-defined in vitro conditions.

Can P-glycoprotein mediate resistance to nilotinib in human leukaemia cells?

The effect of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1, MDR1) expression on cell resistance to nilotinib was studied in human leukaemia cells. We used K562/Dox cells overexpressing P-gp and their variants (subclones) with a gradually decreased P-gp expression. These subclones were established by stable transfection of K562/Dox cells with a plasmid vector expressing shRNA targeting the ABCB1 gene. Functional analysis of P-gp using a specific fluorescent probe indicated gradually decreased dye efflux which was proportional to the P-gp expression. We observed that K562/Dox cells overexpressing P-gp contained a significantly reduced intracellular level of nilotinib when compared to their counter partner K562 cells, which do not express P-gp. This effect was accompanied by a decreased sensitivity of the K562/Dox cells to nilotinib. Importantly, cells with downregulated expression of P-gp gradually lost their ability to decrease the intracellular level of nilotinib although they still significantly decreased the intracellular level of daunorubicin (DNR). Accordingly, cells with the reduced expression of P-gp concomitantly failed to provide resistance to nilotinib, however, they exhibited a significant resistance to DNR. Taken together, we demonstrated that the conclusion as to whether P-gp is involved in nilotinib resistance or not strongly depends on its expression at protein level.

The effect of acid pH modifiers on the release characteristics of weakly basic drug from hydrophlilic-lipophilic matrices.

The solubility of weakly basic drugs within passage though GI tract leads to pH-dependent or even incomplete release of these drugs from extended release formulations and consequently to lower drug absorption and bioavailability. The aim of the study was to prepare and evaluate hydrophilic-lipophilic (hypromellose-montanglycol wax) matrix tablets ensuring the pH-independent delivery of the weakly basic drug verapamil-hydrochloride by an incorporation of three organic acidifiers (citric, fumaric, and itaconic acids) differing in their concentrations, pK a, and solubility. The dissolution studies were performed by the method of changing pH values, which better corresponded to the real conditions in the GI tract (2 h at pH 1.2 and then 10 h at pH 6.8). Within the same conditions, pH of matrix microenvironment was measured. To determine relationships between the above mentioned properties of acidifiers and the monitored effects (the amount of released drug and surface pH of gel layer in selected time intervals-360 and 480 min), the full factorial design method and partial least squares PLS-2 regression were used. The incorporation of the tested pH modifiers significantly increased the drug release rate from matrices. PLS-components explained 75% and 73% variation in the X- and Y-data, respectively. The obtained results indicated that the main crucial points (p < 0.01) were the concentration and strength of acidifier incorporated into the matrix. Contrary, the acid solubility surprisingly did not influence the selected effects except for the surface pH of gel layer in time 480 min.

[Monitoring of formation of diclofenac sodium salt hydrates and their influence on the drug dissolution from prepared tablets]. / Sledování vzniku hydrátu diklofenaku sodné soli a jejich vlivu na disoluci léciva z pripravených tablet.

NIR spectroscopy together with multivariate data analysis were used to analyze the hydrates of diclofenac sodium prepared from the non-aqueous solvents tetrahydrofuran and methanol under standard laboratory conditions at 20 °C and relative humidity less than 60%. It was confirmed that the developed PLS regression model can monitor the process of formation of hydrates. It was also found that the hydrated form of diclofenac sodium arises during the preparation of the dosage form the using technology of impregnating the solid carrier by non-aqueous solvents, which resulted in reducing of the drug release rate from prepared tablets up to twice. NIR spectroscopy was confirmed as one of the effective PAT (Process Analytical Technology) methods.

P-glycoprotein mediates resistance to A3 adenosine receptor agonist 2-chloro-N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-n-methyluronamide in human leukemia cells.

We studied effects of 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (Cl-IB-MECA) on apoptosis induction in the K562/Dox cell line, which overexpressed P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1, MDR1). We found that the K562/Dox cell line was significantly more resistant to Cl-IB-MECA than the maternal cell line K562, which did not express P-gp. Although both cell lines expressed the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR), cytotoxic effects of Cl-IB-MECA were not prevented by its selective antagonist MRS1523 (3-propyl-6-ethyl-5-[(ethylthio)carbonyl]-2 phenyl-4-propyl-3-pyridine carboxylate). Analysis of cell extracts revealed that the intracellular level of Cl-IB-MECA was significantly lower in the K562/Dox cell line than in the maternal cell line K562. The downregulation of P-gp expression using shRNA targeting ABCB1 gene led to increased intracellular level of Cl-IB-MECA and restored cell sensitivity to this drug. Similarly, valspodar (PSC-833), a specific inhibitor of P-gp, restored sensitivity of the K562/Dox cell line to Cl-IB-MECA with concomitant increase of intracellular level of Cl-IB-MECA in the resistant cell line, while it affected cytotoxicity of Cl-IB-MECA in the sensitive cell line only marginally. An enzyme based assay provided evidence for interaction of P-gp with Cl-IB-MECA. We further observed that cytotoxic effects of Cl-IB-MECA could be augmented by activation of extrinsic cell death pathway by Apo-2L (TRAIL) but not FasL or TNF-α. Our results revealed that Cl-IB-MECA induced an increase in expression of TRAIL receptors in K562 cells, which could sensitize cells to apoptosis induction via an extrinsic cell death pathway. Importantly, these effects were inversely related to P-gp expression. In addition, MRS1523 did not affect Cl-IB-MECA induced expression of TRAIL receptors.

Interactions of N-desmethyl imatinib, an active metabolite of imatinib, with P-glycoprotein in human leukemia cells.

We measured intracellular accumulation of N-desmethyl imatinib (CGP 74588), the main pharmacologically active metabolite of imatinib (Gleevec or STI-571), in Bcr--Abl-positive cells. Using a sensitive and robust non-radioactive in vitro assay, we observed that CGP74588 accumulates in significantly higher amount than imatinib in sensitive K562 cells. In contrast, the intracellular level of CGP74588 was significantly lower than that of imatinib in K562/Dox cells, which represent a multidrug-resistant variant of K562 cells due to the P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1, MDR1) overexpression. An in vitro enzyme-based assay provided evidence that CGP74588 might serve as an excellent substrate for P-gp. Accordingly, we found that CGP74588 up to 20 µM concentration neither induced apoptosis nor inhibited substantially cell proliferation in resistant K562/Dox cells. In contrast, CGP74588 was capable to inhibit cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in sensitive K562 cells, although its effect was approximately three to four times lower than that of imatinib in the same cell line. Our results indicate that CGP74588 could hardly positively contribute to the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) where ABCB1 gene overexpression represents a possible mechanism of resistance to imatinib in vivo.

Heat Shock Protein Inhibitor 17-Allyamino-17-Demethoxygeldanamycin, a Potent Inductor of Apoptosis in Human Glioma Tumor Cell Lines, Is a Weak Substrate for ABCB1 and ABCG2 Transporters.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and has a poor prognosis. Complex genetic alterations and the protective effect of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have so far hampered effective treatment. Here, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors, geldanamycin (GDN) and 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG, tanespimycin), in a panel of glioma tumor cell lines with various genetic alterations. We also assessed the ability of the main drug transporters, ABCB1 and ABCG2, to efflux GDN and 17-AAG. We found that GDN and 17-AAG induced extensive cell death with the morphological and biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis in all studied glioma cell lines at sub-micro-molar and nanomolar concentrations. Moderate efflux efficacy of GDN and 17-AAG mediated by ABCB1 was observed. There was an insignificant and low efflux efficacy of GDN and 17-AAG mediated by ABCG2. Conclusion: GDN and 17-AAG, in particular, exhibited strong proapoptotic effects in glioma tumor cell lines irrespective of genetic alterations. GDN and 17-AAG appeared to be weak substrates of ABCB1 and ABCG2. Therefore, the BBB would compromise their cytotoxic effects only partially. We hypothesize that GBM patients may benefit from 17-AAG either as a single agent or in combination with other drugs.

Partial glutathione reductase deficiency as a cause of diverse clinical manifestations in a family with unstable hemoglobin (Hemoglobin Haná, ß63(E7) His-Asn).

Hemoglobin Haná [ß63(E7) His-Asn] is an unstable hemoglobin variant that was described in a Czech proband and her sister with Heinz body hemolytic anemia. The mother bearing the same mutation was asymptomatic; nevertheless, all three carriers had the same proportion of the mutant globin chains. Assessment of several erythrocyte antioxidant parameters revealed that both symptomatic children, unlike their asymptomatic mother, had significantly decreased glutathione reductase (GR) activity. Their GR activities were restorable in vitro by flavin adenine dinucleotide. The riboflavin supplementation improved their glutathione metabolism and ameliorated their hemolysis. Pre- and post-treatment assessment of the B(2) vitamers indicated suboptimal pre-treatment vitamin B(2) status in both children. This study provides evidence that partial GR deficiency may alter the clinical manifestation of an unstable hemoglobinopathy.