Topical Administration of Bosentan Prevents Retinal Neurodegeneration in Experimental Diabetes.

Experimental evidence suggests that endothelin 1 (ET-1) is involved in the development of retinal microvascular abnormalities induced by diabetes. The effects of ET-1 are mediated by endothelin A- and B-receptors (ETA and ETB). Endothelin B-receptors activation mediates retinal neurodegeneration but there are no data regarding the effectiveness of ETB receptor blockage in arresting retinal neurodegeneration induced by diabetes. The main aim of the present study was to assess the usefulness of topical administration of bosentan (a dual endothelin receptor antagonist) in preventing retinal neurodegeneration in diabetic (db/db) mice. For this purpose, db/db mice aged 10 weeks were treated with one drop of bosentan (5 mg/mL, n = 6) or vehicle (n = 6) administered twice daily for 14 days. Six non-diabetic (db/+) mice matched by age were included as the control group. Glial activation was evaluated by immunofluorescence using specific antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL method. A pharmacokinetic study was performed in rabbits. We found that topical administration of bosentan resulted in a significant decrease of reactive gliosis and apoptosis. The results of the pharmacokinetic study suggested that bosentan reached the retina through the trans-scleral route. We conclude that topical administration of bosentan was effective in preventing neurodegeneration in the diabetic retina and, therefore, could be a good candidate to be tested in clinical trials.

Approach to design space from retrospective quality data.

CONTEXT: Nowadays, the entire manufacturing process is based on the current GMPs, which emphasize the reproducibility of the process, and companies have a lot of recorded data about their processes. OBJECTIVE: The establishment of the design space (DS) from retrospective data for a wet compression process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A design of experiments (DoE) with historical data from 4 years of industrial production has been carried out using the experimental factors as the results of the previous risk analysis and eight key parameters (quality specifications) that encompassed process and quality control data. RESULTS: Software Statgraphics 5.0 was applied, and data were processed to obtain eight DS as well as their safe and working ranges. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Experience shows that it is possible to determine DS retrospectively, being the greatest difficulty in handling and processing of high amounts of data; however, the practicality of this study is very interesting as it let have the DS with minimal investment in experiments since actual production batch data are processed statistically.

Improved synthesis and characterization of cholesteryl oleate-loaded cationic solid lipid nanoparticles with high transfection efficiency for gene therapy applications.

The development of new nanoparticle formulations that are capable of high transfection efficiency without toxicity is essential to provide new tools for gene therapy. However, the issues of complex, poorly reproducible manufacturing methods, and low efficiencies during in vivo testing have prevented translation to the clinic. We have previously reported the use of cholesteryl oleate as a novel excipient for solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) for the development of highly efficient and nontoxic nucleic acid delivery carriers. Here, we performed an extensive characterization of this novel formulation to make the scale up under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) possible. We also describe the complete physicochemical and biological characterization of cholesteryl oleate-loaded SLNs to ensure the reproducibility of this formula and the preservation of its characteristics before and after the lyophilization process. We defined the best manufacturing method and studied the influence of some parameters on the obtained nanoparticles using the Quality by Design (ICH Q8) guideline to obtain cholesteryl oleate-loaded SLNs that remain stable during storage and guarantee in vitro nucleic acid delivery efficacy. Our results indicate that this improved formulation is suitable for gene therapy with the possibility of scale-up the manufacturing of nanoparticles under GMP conditions.

Cholesteryl oleate-loaded cationic solid lipid nanoparticles as carriers for efficient gene-silencing therapy.

BACKGROUND: Cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have been given considerable attention for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery owing to their advantages over viral and other nanoparticle delivery systems. However, poor delivery efficiency and complex formulations hinder the clinical translation of SLNs. AIM: The aim of this study was to formulate and characterize SLNs incorporating the cholesterol derivative cholesteryl oleate to produce SLN-nucleic acid complexes with reduced cytotoxicity and more efficient cellular uptake. METHODS: Five cholesteryl oleate-containing formulations were prepared. Laser diffraction and laser Doppler microelectrophoresis were used to evaluate particle size and zeta potential, respectively. Nanoparticle morphology was analyzed using electron microscopy. Cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of lipoplexes were evaluated using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The gene inhibition capacity of the lipoplexes was assessed using siRNAs to block constitutive luciferase expression. RESULTS: We obtained nanoparticles with a mean diameter of approximately 150-200 nm in size and zeta potential values of 25-40 mV. SLN formulations with intermediate concentrations of cholesteryl oleate exhibited good stability and spherical structures with no aggregation. No cell toxicity of any reference SLN was observed. Finally, cellular uptake experiments with DNA-and RNA-SLNs were performed to select one reference with superior transient transfection efficiency that significantly decreased gene activity upon siRNA complexation. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that cholesteryl oleate-loaded SLNs are a safe and effective platform for nonviral nucleic acid delivery.

Application of a validated method in the stability study of colistin sulfate and methylparaben in a veterinary suspension formulation by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector.

A methodology following International Cooperation on Harmonization for Veterinary Products (VICH) guidelines for the stability evaluation of colistin sulfate in a nonaqueous suspension pharmaceutical dosage form for veterinary use (via their drinking water) is described. This method monitors the percentage of colistin sulfate during the stability study of the preparation in drinking water and establishes the shelf life of the final product by a new high-performance liquid chromatography method which was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of colistin sulfate [colistin A (Polymixin E1) and colistin B (Polymixin E2)] and methylparaben (Nipagin) using a diode array detector (DAD). The method uses a Kromasil C18 column and isocratic elution. The mobile phase consisted of an acetonitrile-sodium sulfate anhydrous solution (25 + 75) pumped at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The DAD was set at 215 nm. The validation study was carried out according to the VICH guidelines in order to prove that the new analytical method meets the reliability characteristics, which include the fundamental criteria for validation: selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and sensitivity. The method was applied during the quality control or stability studies of the suspension dosage form in order to quantify the drug (colistin) and preservative, and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control.

Improved formulation of cationic solid lipid nanoparticles displays cellular uptake and biological activity of nucleic acids.

Non-viral delivery using cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) represents a useful strategy to introduce large DNA and RNA molecules to target cells. A careful selection of components and their amounts is critical to improve transfection efficiency. In this work, a selected and optimized formulation of SLNs was used to efficiently transfect circular DNA and linear RNA molecules into cells. We characterized the main physicochemical characteristics and binding capabilities of these SLNs and show that they deliver DNA and RNA molecules into cells where they display full bioactivity at nontoxic concentrations using fluorescence- and luminescence-based methodologies. Hence, we established a novel and simple SLN formulation as a powerful tool for future therapeutic use.

Chitosan nanoparticles as non-viral gene delivery systems: determination of loading efficiency.

Chitosan has been studied for use in particle delivery systems for therapeutic purposes, since one of its most important applications is as a non-viral vector in gene therapy. Due to its positive charge, it is capable of forming DNA complexes (polyplexes) obtained through several methods and with the property of protecting nucleic acids. Two methods for obtaining the nanoparticles of chitosan-nucleic acids are reported in this study: simple complexation (of depolymerized chitosan or of different chitosan salts with plasmid) and ionic gelation (by adsorption of plasmid in the nanoparticles or by encapsulation of plasmid into nanoparticles). The determination of the loading efficiency of chitosan nanoparticles with the plasmid is carried out by electrophoretic mobility of the samples on agarose gel. Furthermore, the nanoparticles have been characterized according to their morphology, size and surface charge using AFM, TEM, laser diffraction and dynamic light scattering techniques. The polyplexes obtained have been found to be spherical and nanometric in size (between 100-230nm) with a zeta potential between 37 and 48mV. Positive results have been obtained by agarose gel electrophoresis for all studied cases: a concentration of between 20 and 30µg/mL of chitosan salts is required while for the remaining chitosan samples studied, 100% loading efficiency does not occur until a concentration equal to 100µg/mL (regardless of previous depolymerisation and the method performed). Chitosan-plasmid nanocapsules have been obtained at the polymer concentrations worked with (between 0.025 and 0.2%).

A new optimized formulation of cationic solid lipid nanoparticles intended for gene delivery: development, characterization and DNA binding efficiency of TCERG1 expression plasmid.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are being considered as a new approach for therapeutics for many known diseases. In addition to drug delivery, their use as non-viral vectors for gene delivery can be achieved by the inclusion of cationic lipids, which provide a positive surface potential that favours binding to the DNA backbone. This work is based on the idea that the optimization of the components is required as the first step in simplifying the qualitative and quantitative composition of SLNs as much as possible without affecting the essential properties that define SLNs as optimal non-viral vectors for gene delivery. We selected the best lipids and surfactants in terms of particle size and zeta potential and characterized the properties of the resulting nanoparticles using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The SLNs had a particle size of approximately 120 nm and a positive surface charge of 42 mV. In addition, we analysed the main physicochemical characteristics of the bulk components of the nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mass spectrometry (MS). The suitability of the optimized SLNs for DNA binding was evaluated after the lyophilisation process using a carboxyl-terminal region of the TCERG1 gene, a human factor that has been implicated in several diseases. We show that the SLNs presented high efficiency in the binding of DNA, and importantly, they presented no toxicity when assayed in an in vivo system.

Quality and integrity of data in research, development, and innovation: a risk analysis method applied to laboratory notebooks in a university pilot plant.

Risk analysis tools can be applied in the early stages of the research, development, and innovation of pharmaceutical drugs. We used a risk ranking and filtering method to optimize time resources in internal audits of project development documents in order to ensure traceability in a university pilot plant. Data gathered during audits undertaken over a 14 month period were classified according to risk factors at several levels. Consequently, time resources for this type of internal audit can be optimised by focusing on aspects that are objectively determined to be critical to traceability. In addition, quality can be ensured by paying more attention to the most critical aspects, rather than the most commonly observed findings in historical data. LAY ABSTRACT: One of the most important issue for a research, development, and innovation centre is the traceability of both experimental tasks and their documentation. This study describes an analysis of the findings revealed during internal audits carried out over a 14 month period, in order to establish its criticality and to highlight those important aspects to consider in future audits, while saving both personnel and time resources to carry out internal audits on development of projects.