Oromucosal precursors of in loco hydrogels for wound-dressing and drug delivery in oral mucositis: Retain, resist, and release.

Oromucosal films and tablets were developed as multifunctional biomaterials for the treatment of oral mucositis. These are intended to function as a hybrid, performing as a controlled drug delivery system and as a wound-dressing device. The dosage forms are precursors for in loco hydrogels that are activated by the saliva. An anti-inflammatory and anesthetic activity is attained from budesonide tripartite polymeric nanoparticles and lidocaine, while the polymeric network allows the protection and cicatrization of the wound. Different biomaterials and blends were investigated, focusing on the capacity to retain and resist on-site, as well as achieve a long-lasting controlled release. As the limiting factor, the choice was made according to the films' results. A polymer mix of Methocel™ K100M and Carbopol® (974P, EDT 2020, or Ultrez 10) blends were used. Overall, regrading critical factors, Carbopol® increased films' elasticity and flexibility, mucoadhesion, and the strength of the hydrogels, while higher concentrations led to thicker, more opaque, and lower strain resistance products. Whereas 974P and Ultrez 10 performed similarly, EDT 2020 led to uniformity problems and weaker films, hydrogels and bioadhesion. The optimized products were enhanced with sodium hyaluronate and drug-loaded for further characterization. Concerning the dosage form, the films' hydrogels were more resilient, while the tablets had higher mucoadhesiveness and longer swelling. Although through different networks and mechanisms, both dosage forms and grades revealed similar release profiles. A Case II time-evolving stereoselectivity for the 22R and 22S budesonide epimers was found, and Fickian-diffusion for lidocaine. Ultimately, the developed formulations show great potential to be used in OM management. Both of the selected grades at 0.6% displayed excellent performance, while Ultrez 10 can be preferable for the films' production due to its lower viscosity before neutralization and higher after activation. Where the tablets are easier to produce and offer better adhesion, the films are more customizable post-production and have higher rheological performance for wound-dressing.

Swellable polymeric particles for the local delivery of budesonide in oral mucositis.

Topical drug delivery in the oral mucosa has its set of challenges due to the unique anatomical and physiological features of the oral cavity. As such, the outcomes of local pharmacological treatments in oral disorders can fail due to unsuccessfully drug delivery. Oral mucositis, a severe inflammatory and ulcerative side effect of oncological treatments, is one of such diseases. Although the damaged tissue is within reach, no approved topical drug treatment is available. Several strategies based on its physiopathology have been implemented and clinically used. Even so, results tend to lack or be insufficient to improve patient's quality of life. The use of corticosteroids has been employed in such strategies due to their strong anti-inflammatory action. Typically, these are administrated in simple liquid formulations, where the drug is dispersed or solubilized, lacking the ability to maintain local concentration. In this work, we propose the development of a biocompatible delivery system with boosted abilities of retention and control release of budesonide, a corticosteroid with an elevated ratio of topical anti-inflammatory to systemic action. Through spray-drying, polymeric particles of Chitosan and Eudragit® E PO were produced and characterized for the vectorization of this drug.

Challenges in the local delivery of peptides and proteins for oral mucositis management.

Oral mucositis, a common inflammatory side effect of oncological treatments, is a disorder of the oral mucosa that can cause painful ulcerations, local motor disabilities, and an increased risk of infections. Due to the discomfort it produces and the associated health risks, it can lead to cancer treatment restrains, such as the need for dose reduction, cycle delays or abandonment. Current mucositis management has low efficiency in prevention and treatment. A topical drug application for a local action can be a more effective approach than systemic routes when addressing oral cavity pathologies. Local delivery of growth factors, antibodies, and anti-inflammatory cytokines have shown promising results. However, due to the peptide and protein nature of these novel agents, and the several anatomic, physiological and environmental challenges of the oral cavity, their local action might be limited when using traditional delivering systems. This review is an awareness of the issues and strategies in the local delivery of macromolecules for the management of oral mucositis.

Quality by design: discussing and assessing the solid dispersions risk.

The poor water solubility tops the list of undesirable physicochemical properties in the drug discovery and Solid Dispersions (SDs) has been frequently used to enhance dissolution of such compounds. Although, some challenges limit the studies of SD commercial application. During recent years, the Quality by Design (QbD) approach has begun to change drug development, and focus on pharmaceutical production, which shifted from an univariate empirical understanding for a systematic multivariate process. In this review, some possible variables during the development process, formulation and production of SDs were defined, introducing and applying the QbD concept. The proposed work presented important definitions as well as its application in the pharmaceutical product and process design, especially the challenges encountered during the development of formulations of poorly soluble drugs. In this aspect, the SD technique was deeply discussed, in which some important parameters during SD design and production were mentioned as method of production, polymers commonly used, methods for characterization and stability evaluation, in addition of biopharmaceutical considerations. Finally, a specific risk assessment for the design and production of SD and critical points were discussed, which was a positive evolution and may lead to better understanding of SD for a rational formulation.

Brain targeting effect of camptothecin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles in rat after intravenous administration.

This study intended to investigate the ability of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to deliver camptothecin into the brain parenchyma after crossing the blood-brain barrier. For that purpose, camptothecin-loaded SLN with mean size below 200 nm, low polydispersity index (<0.25), negative surface charge (-20 mV), and high camptothecin association efficiency (>94%) were produced. Synchrotron small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) analysis indicates that SLN maintain their physical stability in contact with DMPC membrane, whereas SLN change the lamellar structure of DMPC into a cubic phase, which is associated with efficient release of the incorporated drugs. Cytotoxicity studies against glioma and macrophage human cell lines revealed that camptothecin-loaded SLN induced cell death with the lowest maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values, revealing higher antitumour activity of camptothecin-loaded SLN against gliomas. Furthermore, in vivo biodistribution studies of intravenous camptothecin-loaded SLN performed in rats proved the positive role of SLN on the brain targeting since significant higher brain accumulation of camptothecin was observed, compared to non-encapsulated drug. Pharmacokinetic studies further demonstrated lower deposition of camptothecin in peripheral organs, when encapsulated into SLN, with consequent decrease in potential side toxicological effects. These results confirmed the potential of camptothecin-loaded SLN for antitumour brain treatments.

Development and validation of a simple reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of camptothecin in animal organs following administration in solid lipid nanoparticles.

A simple, sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the quantification of camptothecin (CPT), a potent anticancer candidate, incorporated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) in several rat organs (brain, heart, kidneys liver, lung, spleen) and serum was developed and validated. The sample pre-treatment involved organs homogenisation followed by CPT extraction. The samples were injected onto an analytical reversed-phase (RP) Mediterranea™ Sea18 column maintained at 30°C. The chromatographic separation was achieved by gradient elution consisting of triethyamine buffer pH 5.5 and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min in 16 min of run time and retention time of 9.8 min (lactone). Fluorescence detection was used at the excitation and emission of 360 and 440 nm, respectively. The calibration curves in the different organs, serum and in PB3 were linear (r(2)>0.9999) over CPT concentrations ranging from 1 to 200 ng/mL or 0.5 to 200 ng/mL (n=6), respectively. The method was shown to be specific, accurate (between 94.4±4.5% and 108.9±0.6%) and precise at the intra-day and inter-day levels as reflected by the coefficient of variation (CV<6.3%) at three different concentrations (10, 50 and 100 ng/mL) in all matrices. Stability studies showed that CPT was stable in all matrices after 24h of incubation at room temperature (RT), after 24 h in the autosampler or after three freeze/thaw cycles. The mean recoveries of CPT in suspension, loaded into SLN and in a physical mixture with SLN at three concentrations of 10, 50 and 200 ng/mL were higher than 86.4%. The detection limit (DL) was ≤0.2 ng/mL and the quantification limit (QL) was ≤0.5 ng/mL. The method developed is reliable, precise and accurate and can be used in the determination of CPT amount in rat organ samples after i.v. administration of CPT in suspension, in physical mixture with SLN and incorporated in SLN.

Cyclodextrin multicomponent complexation and controlled release delivery strategies to optimize the oral bioavailability of vinpocetine.

In the present work, to maintain a suitable blood level of vinpocetine (VP) for a long period of time, VP-cyclodextrin-tartaric acid multicomponent complexes were prepared and formulated in hydroxypropylmethylcellulose matrix tablets. In vitro and in vivo performances of these formulations were investigated over a VP immediate release dosage form. Solubility studies were performed to evaluate the drug pH solubilization profile and to assess the effect of multicomponent complexation on VP solubility. The drug release process was investigated using United States Pharmacopeia apparatus 3 and a comparative oral pharmacokinetic study was subsequently undertaken in rabbits. Solubility studies denoted the pH-solubility dependence of VP and solubility improvement attained by complexation. Dissolution results showed controlled and almost complete release behavior of VP over a 12-h period from complex hydroxypropylmethylcellulose-based formulations. A clear difference between the pharmacokinetic patterns of VP immediate release and VP complex-based formulations was revealed. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve after oral administration of complex-based formulations was 2.1-2.9 times higher than that for VP immediate release formulation. Furthermore, significant differences found for mean residence time, elimination half-life, and elimination rate constant values corroborated prolonged release of VP from complex-based formulations. These results suggest that the oral bioavailability of VP was significantly improved by both multicomponent complexation and controlled release delivery strategies.

Lipid-based colloidal carriers for peptide and protein delivery--liposomes versus lipid nanoparticles.

This paper highlights the importance of lipid-based colloidal carriers and their pharmaceutical implications in the delivery of peptides and proteins for oral and parenteral administration. There are several examples of biomacromolecules used nowadays in the therapeutics, which are promising candidates to be delivered by means of liposomes and lipid nanoparticles, such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). Several production procedures can be applied to achieve a high association efficiency between the bioactives and the carrier, depending on the physicochemical properties of both, as well as on the production procedure applied. Generally, this can lead to improved bioavailability, or in case of oral administration a more consistent temporal profile of absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Advantages and drawbacks of such colloidal carriers are also pointed out. This article describes strategies used for formulation of peptides and proteins, methods used for assessment of association efficiency and practical considerations regarding the toxicological concerns.

In vitro controlled release of vinpocetine-cyclodextrin-tartaric acid multicomponent complexes from HPMC swellable tablets.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of multicomponent complexation (MCC) of vinpocetine (VP), a poorly soluble base-type drug, with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD), sulfobutylether beta-cyclodextrin (SBEbetaCD), tartaric acid (TA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), on the design of controlled release hydrophilic HPMC tablets and to evaluate their in vitro release profiles by a pH gradient method. Multicomponent complexation led to enhanced dissolution properties of VP both in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids, and became possible the development of HPMC tablet formulations with more independent pH dissolution profiles. Drug release process was investigated experimentally using USP apparatus 3 and by means of model-independent parameters. Responses studied included similarity of dissolution profiles, time for 60% of the drug to dissolve (T(60%)), percent of VP released after 7 h (PD(7 h)) and the dissolution efficiency parameter at 12 h (DE(12 h)). Influence of multicomponent complexation was proved to increase the release of VP from HPMC tablets and superior PD(7 h) and DE(12 h) values were obtained in formulations containing VP-CD-TA complexes. Results supported the use of HPMC matrices to provide a useful tool in retarding the release of VP and that dissolution characteristics of the drug may be modulated by multicomponent complexation in these delivery systems, suggesting an improvement on VP bioavailability.

Multicomponent complex formation between vinpocetine, cyclodextrins, tartaric acid and water-soluble polymers monitored by NMR and solubility studies.

This work deals with multicomponent complex formation of vinpocetine (VP) with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD), sulfobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrin (SBEbetaCD) and tartaric acid (TA), in the presence or absence of water-soluble polymers, in aqueous solution. Complexation was monitored by phase-solubility and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) studies. TA demonstrated a synergistic effect on VP solubility, and in the complexation efficiency of betaCD and SBEbetaCD. Additionally, water-soluble polymers increased even more the complexation efficiency of the CDs that was reflected by a 2.1-2.5 increase on K(C) values for VP-CD-TA-polymer multicomponent complexes. SBEbetaCD was more effective in VP solubilization, as K(C) values of VP-SBEbetaCD-TA multicomponent complexes were notably higher than in corresponding betaCD complexes. The large chemical shift displacements from protons located in the interior of the hydrophobic CD cavities (i.e., H-3 and H-5) coupled with significant chemical shift displacements of VP aromatic protons suggested that this moiety was included in the cavity of both betaCD and SBEbetaCD. Two-dimensional rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiments were carried out in order to obtain information about the multicomponent complex geometry in solution. Inspection of ROESY spectra allowed the establishment of spatial proximities between all aromatic protons of VP and the internal protons of the CDs, confirming that the aromatic moiety of VP is included in CD cavities being deeply inserted in SBEbetaCD multicomponent complexes, since additional interactions with the sulfobutyl side chains were evidenced.

Physicochemical investigation of the effects of water-soluble polymers on vinpocetine complexation with beta-cyclodextrin and its sulfobutyl ether derivative in solution and solid state.

The studies reported in this work aimed to elucidate the inclusion complex formation of vinpocetine (VP), a poorly water-soluble base type drug, with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) and its sulfobutyl ether derivative (sulfobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrin (SBEbetaCD)), with or without water-soluble polymers (PVP and HPMC), by thoroughly investigating their interactions in solution and solid state. Phase solubility studies were carried out to evaluate the solubilizing power of both cyclodextrins (CDs), in association with water-soluble polymers, towards VP and to determine the apparent stability constants (Kc) of the complexes. SBEbetaCD showed higher solubilizing efficacy toward VP than the parent betaCD due to its greater solubility and complexing abilities, what was reflected in higher Kc values. Improvement in Kc values for ternary complexes clearly proves the benefit on the addition of water-soluble polymers to promote higher complexation efficiency. VP-CDs (1:1) binary and ternary systems were prepared by physical mixing, kneading, co-evaporation, and lyophilization methods. In the solid state, drug-carrier interactions were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of these analysis suggested the formation of new solid phases, some of them in amorphous state, allowing to the conclusion of strong evidences of binary and ternary inclusion complex formation between VP, CD and water-soluble polymers, particularly for co-evaporated and lyophilized binary and ternary products.