A novel aqueous parenteral formulation of docetaxel using prodrugs.

The aim of this study is to develop an aqueous parenteral solution of docetaxel using prodrugs. Docetaxel (DTX) is a highly lipophilic drug and practically insoluble in water. To overcome insolubility of docetaxel, three kinds of docetaxel prodrugs were synthesized using succinyl linker such as DTX-G, DTX-L or DTX-S and physicochemically characterized. The solubility of docetaxel prodrugs was determined by changing the concentration and type of surfactants, cosolvents or cyclodextrins. It was observed that the novel mixture of 15% PEG 400, 2.5% Tween 80 and 20% hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin significantly increased the solubility of DTX-G up to 5.7 mg/mL. After subjected to the study of the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities, it was shown that the novel mixture did not show the hemolysis compared to Taxotere. It was suggested this novel mixture might have the potential to develop an aqueous parenteral formulation.

Practical preparation procedures for docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles using polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid.

BACKGROUND: Nanoparticles fabricated from the biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), are the most intensively investigated polymers for drug delivery systems. The objective of this study was to explore fully the development of a PLGA nanoparticle drug delivery system for alternative preparation of a commercial formulation. In our nanoparticle fabrication, our purpose was to compare various preparation parameters. METHODS: Docetaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by a single emulsion technique and solvent evaporation. The nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques, including scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology, dynamic light scattering for size and zeta potential, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for surface chemistry, and high-performance liquid chromatography for in vitro drug release kinetics. To obtain a smaller particle, 0.2% polyvinyl alcohol, 0.03% D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS), 2% Poloxamer 188, a five-minute sonication time, 130 W sonication power, evaporation with magnetic stirring, and centrifugation at 8000 rpm were selected. To increase encapsulation efficiency in the nanoparticles, certain factors were varied, ie, 2-5 minutes of sonication time, 70-130 W sonication power, and 5-25 mg drug loading. RESULTS: A five-minute sonication time, 130 W sonication power, and a 10 mg drug loading amount were selected. Under these conditions, the nanoparticles reached over 90% encapsulation efficiency. Release kinetics showed that 20.83%, 40.07%, and 51.5% of the docetaxel was released in 28 days from nanoparticles containing Poloxamer 188, TPGS, or polyvinyl alcohol, respectively. TPGS and Poloxamer 188 had slower release kinetics than polyvinyl alcohol. It was predicted that there was residual drug remaining on the surface from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. CONCLUSION: Our research shows that the choice of surfactant is important for controlled release of docetaxel.