Formulation, physicochemical characterization and stability study of lithium-loaded microemulsion system.

Lithium biocompatible microemulsion based on Peceol(®), lecithin, ethanol and water was studied in attempt to identify the optimal compositions in term of drug content, physicochemical properties and stability. Lithium solubilization in microemulsion was found to be compatible with a drug-surfactant binding model. Lithium ions were predominantly solubilized within lecithin head group altering significantly the interfacial properties of the system. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of drug free and drug loaded microemulsions were built at constant ethanol/lecithin weight ratio (40/60). Lithium loaded microemulsion has totally disappeared in the Peceol(®) rich part of phase diagram; critical fractions of lecithin and ethanol were required for the formation of stable microemulsion. The effect of lithium concentration on the properties and physical stability of microemulsions were studied using microscopy, Karl Fischer titrations, rheology analyses, conductivity measurements and centrifugation tests. The investigated microemulsions were found to be stable under accelerated storage conditions. The systems exhibited low viscosity and behaved as Newtonian fluid and no structural transition was shown.

Development of pharmaceutical clear gel based on Peceol®, lecithin, ethanol and water: Physicochemical characterization and stability study.

The phase behavior of the four-components Peceol®/lecithin/ethanol/water system has been studied in a part of the phase diagram poor in water and varying the lecithin/Peceol® ratio. Using several complementary techniques such as Karl Fischer titration, rheology, polarized microscopy and SAXS measurements several nanostructures of the complex systems were identified. W/O microemulsion (L2) as well as an inverted hexagonal (H2) liquid-crystal phase were studied. The analysis of the different phase transitions allows us to understand the effect of lecithin on the water solubilization efficiency of this clear gel and to show its pharmaceutical interest among lecithin organogels.

Water solubilization capacity of pharmaceutical microemulsions based on Peceol®, lecithin and ethanol.

Biocompatible microemulsions composed of Peceol(®), lecithin, ethanol and water developed for encapsulation of hydrophilic drugs were investigated. The binary mixture Peceol(®)/ethanol was studied first. It was shown that the addition of ethanol to pure Peceol(®) has a significant fluidifying and disordering effect on the Peceol(®) supramolecular structure with an enhancement in water solubilization. The water solubilization capacity was improved by adding lecithin as a third component. It was then demonstrated that the ethanol/lecithin weight ratio played an important role in determining the optimal composition in term of water solubilization efficiency, a necessary property for a nutraceutical or pharmaceutical application. The optimal ethanol/lecithin weight ratio in the Peceol(®) rich region was found to be 40/60. Combination different techniques such as SAXS, fluorimetry, rheology and conductivity, we analyzed the water uptake within the microemulsion taking into account the partitioning of ethanol between polar and apolar domains. This ethanol distribution quantified along a water dilution line has a major effect on microemulsion properties.

Phase behavior of reverse microemulsions based on Peceol(®).

The phase diagram of the four component system Peceol®/lecithin/ethanol/water was studied at 25°C and at a fixed fraction of ethanol. It shows an isotropic W/O microemulsion phase, biphasic liquid system and Liquid crystalline phases. The stabilizing effect of lecithin with the fluidifying effect of ethanol on the microemulsion based on long chain glycerides provides an effective combination to solubilize a large amount of water. Some structural transitions in the phase diagram were investigated as a function of water content using conductivity, rheology, Karl Fisher titration, optical microscopy and SAXS measurements. The results show no change in the microstructure of the isotropic liquid upon phase separation in the liquid biphasic area. However, in the water rich region, migration of ethanol to the external aqueous phase at the expense of the saturated microemulsion promotes the formation of liquid crystalline phases. As a function of water content, the structural change to the liquid crystalline phases follows: isotropic phase L2 → Inverted hexagonal phase H2 → Inverted hexagonal H2/lamellar Lα phases.

Aggregates and hydrogels prepared by self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers with surfactants.

A series of water-insoluble polylactide/poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA/PEG) block copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of lactide in the presence of mono- or dihydroxyl PEG, using nontoxic zinc lactate as catalyst. Interactions between the resulting copolymers and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in water were studied by varying SDS fraction and copolymer concentration, using ultraviolet-visible spectrometer. Light transmission results show that all the insoluble copolymers strongly interact with SDS, and the solubility of the copolymers is improved with increasing SDS fraction. Copolymers with triblock structures or higher molar masses present larger variation of solubility as compared to those with diblock structures or lower molar masses. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering were then employed to examine the microstructure of aggregates in the mixture solutions. Various aggregates such as vesicles, branch-like micelles, spherical micelles, or nanogels were observed, depending on the SDS fraction and copolymer concentration. It is assumed that at low SDS fractions, surfactant molecules attach to PLA segments and make the copolymers more soluble to form various aggregates. At high SDS fractions, junctions composed of SDS aggregates with PLA segments involved inside are formed in the case of triblock copolymers and diblock ones with high molar masses. These junctions lead to cross-linking of copolymer chains to yield a nanogel. Hydrogels can be obtained at high concentrations as confirmed by rheological measurements.

Anisotropic self-assembling micelles prepared by the direct dissolution of PLA/PEG block copolymers with a high PEG fraction.

A series of polylactide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) block copolymers with a high PEG fraction were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of L- or D-lactide in the presence of mono- or dihydroxyl PEG using nontoxic zinc lactate as a catalyst. Micelles were then prepared by direct dissolution of the obtained water-soluble copolymers in an aqueous medium without heating or using any organic solvents. Large anisotropic micelles instead of conventional spherical ones were observed from a transmission electron microscopy examination. Various parameters influencing the structure of the novel micelles were considered, such as the copolymer chain structure, molar mass, PEG fraction, copolymer concentration, and stereocomplexation between L- and D-PLA blocks. Anisotropic micelles were obtained for both diblock and triblock copolymers but vanished with increasing molar mass of the copolymers. The morphology of micelles strongly depends on the PEG fraction. Anisotropic micelles were found only in an intermediate EO/LA ratio range in which a higher PEG fraction leads to a higher length/width ratio of micelles. Stereocomplexation between L- and D-PLA or a lower concentration disfavors the formation of anisotropic micelles. Under appropriate concentrations, spherical and anisotropic micelles coexist in the same micellar solution. Moreover, it was found that anisotropic micelles are susceptible to further self-assemble into more organized complex aggregates. Similar results were obtained from light scattering and aqueous gel permeation chromatography measurements. A novel model is proposed to explain the formation of anisotropic micelles and the effects of various parameters on the structure of micelles in an aqueous medium.

In vitro degradation behavior of poly(lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymer micelles in aqueous solution.

Self-assembling micelles were prepared from polylactide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) block copolymer by using two different methods: direct dissolution and dialysis. The in vitro degradation properties of the micelles were investigated at 37°C and monitored by using various techniques. During the investigated degradation time, the size of micelles by dialysis remains stable, while that of micelles by direct dissolution first increases, followed by a collapse of micellar structure. The composition of PLA-PEG copolymers greatly affects the degradation of micelles. Micelles with longer hydrophobic PLA blocks exhibit less size changes due to more compact structure. On the other hand, the structural integrity of L/D mixed micelles is preserved for longer time than that of single micelles, in agreement with the stereocomplexation effect between L-PLA and D-PLA blocks. As degradation proceeds, the average molar mass of copolymer decreases and the distribution becomes wider, especially for micelles by dialysis and L/D mixed micelles with a more compact structure. Additionally, the PEG content in the copolymer chains increases during degradation, leading to a decrease of glass transition and crystallization temperature of the copolymers. However, the residual LA fragments produced by degradation disfavors the crystallization of PEG blocks, thus resulting in the decrease of melting temperature and melting enthalpy.

Self-assembly of water-soluble dendrimers into thermoreversible hydrogels and macroscopic fibers.

Hydrogels and macroscopic fibers are formed through the salt-induced self-assembly of water-soluble polycationic phosphorus dendrimers. Interestingly, the hydrogels are thermoreversible and the sol-gel transition temperature can be easily tuned in a wide range of temperatures (approximately 2-80 degrees C). The effects of different parameters, such as salt nature, dendrimer generation, concentration, and temperature, on dendrimer aggregation are examined. The macroscopic fibers are prepared by flocculation under flow and observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which reveals a microscopic fibrillar substructure. We interpret the gelation and flocculation of the polycationic dendrimers in terms of colloidal flocculation.