The Influence of Arginine on the Response of Enamel Matrix Derivative (EMD) Proteins to Thermal Stress: Towards Improving the Stability of EMD-Based Products.

In a current procedure for periodontal tissue regeneration, enamel matrix derivative (EMD), which is the active component, is mixed with a propylene glycol alginate (PGA) gel carrier and applied directly to the periodontal defect. Exposure of EMD to physiological conditions then causes it to precipitate. However, environmental changes during manufacture and storage may result in modifications to the conformation of the EMD proteins, and eventually premature phase separation of the gel and a loss in therapeutic effectiveness. The present work relates to efforts to improve the stability of EMD-based formulations such as Emdogain™ through the incorporation of arginine, a well-known protein stabilizer, but one that to our knowledge has not so far been considered for this purpose. Representative EMD-buffer solutions with and without arginine were analyzed by 3D-dynamic light scattering, UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at different acidic pH and temperatures, T, in order to simulate the effect of pH variations and thermal stress during manufacture and storage. The results provided evidence that arginine may indeed stabilize EMD against irreversible aggregation with respect to variations in pH and T under these conditions. Moreover, stopped-flow transmittance measurements indicated arginine addition not to suppress precipitation of EMD from either the buffers or the PGA gel carrier when the pH was raised to 7, a fundamental requirement for dental applications.

Rational formulation development and in vitro assessment of SMEDDS for oral delivery of poorly water soluble drugs.

The aims of this study were to formulate a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) by a rational formulation approach using mixture experimental design and to derive general concepts that make the development of such systems more feasible. Various types of oils and surfactants were systematically combined and the phase behaviour upon dilution with simulated gastric fluid examined by construction of phase diagrams. The systems solubilising the highest amount of simulated gastric fluid in the continuous microemulsion area were selected for investigation and optimisation of drug solubility. Simvastatin was added as a poorly water-soluble, lipophilic model drug. Two different mixture experimental designs using D-optimal design were set up and used to investigate the solubility of simvastatin in the SMEDDS before and after dilution with simulated gastric fluid respectively. The solubility in each mixture region was analysed by fitting quadratic models using partial least squares analysis. The established models revealed the influence of mixture components on phase behaviour and drug solubility and gave the rationale for formulation optimisation. This study demonstrated that the development of complex self-emulsifying formulations with sufficient solubilisation capacity for poorly water-soluble drugs upon oral administration can be more feasible when using experimental design.

Influence of lipid composition and drug load on the In Vitro performance of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems.

The influence of lipid composition and drug load on the in vitro performance of lipid-based drug delivery systems was investigated during dispersion and in vitro lipolysis of two self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS). SNEDDS preconcentrates consisted of the same mass ratios of lipid, surfactant, and cosolvent but varied in the chain length of the lipid component. Utilization of the surfactant Cremophor EL resulted in pronounced changes in the droplet size of dispersed SNEDDS containing increasing drug loads of the poorly water-soluble compound simvastatin (SIM). In contrast, the droplet size of dispersed medium-chain (MC)-SNEDDS based on the surfactant Cremophor RH40 was not affected by increasing drug loads of SIM, whereas the droplet size of the corresponding long-chain (LC)-SNEDDS increased. During 60 min in vitro lipolysis, MC-SNEDDS maintained approximately 95% of SIM in solution, independent of the drug load. At the start of lipolysis of LC-SNEDDS, up to 34% of the drug precipitated. However, the initial precipitate dissolved in the lipolysis medium 30 min after start of in vitro lipolysis. The study suggests that drug load and lipid composition should be considered for the design of SNEDDS. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 101:1721-1731, 2012.

Poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles for enhanced delivery of therapeutics - is there real potential?

The properties inherent in poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) (PACA) nanoparticles, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability of the polymer, a simple preparation process and particularly the entrapment of bioactives, specifically proteins and peptides, have sparked extensive interest in these nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Research has focused on the oral route of administration, however ocular, transdermal and delivery across the blood-brain barrier have also been investigated. Despite numerous promising studies, no formulation with this colloidal carrier has been marketed to date. A number of factors have been identified as interfering with the reproducibility of in vitro and in vivo results, which impedes the comparison of the plethora of experiments done with PACA nanoparticles. This review will highlight the challenges and opportunities of using PACA nanoparticles as drug delivery systems, including polymerisation mechanisms and templates, entrapment, release, nanoparticle uptake and toxicity. In vitro and in vivo studies, as well as possible surface modifications for targeted delivery in the human field and veterinary applications of PACA nanoparticles are reviewed. Emphasis will be placed on microemulsions as templates for the preparation of PACA nanoparticles and oral delivery of proteins and peptides.

Oral insulin delivery using nanoparticles based on microemulsions with different structure-types: optimisation and in vivo evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to optimise entrapment of insulin in poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles prepared from microemulsions with different microstructure containing isopropyl myristate, caprylocaproyl macrogolglycerides, polyglyceryl oleate and insulin solution and to investigate the in vitro release and bioactivity of insulin in nanoparticles dispersed in the microemulsion templates. Entrapment efficiency and release of insulin were studied using a reverse-phase HPLC assay. Morphology of the nanoparticles was examined with scanning electron microscopy. Bioactivity of insulin was studied using a streptozotocin-diabetic rat model. Nanoparticles were spherical with 200-400 nm in size without significant difference between different microemulsion templates, types and amounts of monomer. Entrapment efficiency increased significantly with increasing monomer concentration but decreased with increasing aqueous fraction in the microemulsion template. Insulin loading however, showed an opposite trend. In vitro release profiles of insulin from the nanoparticles dispersed in the microemulsion templates were controlled by the monomer concentration only. In vivo, a consistent and significant hypoglycemic effect over controls was found for up to 36 h depending on the type of monomer. No significant serum insulin levels were detectable. This study showed that the strategy of delivering insulin orally, entrapped in nanoparticles and dispersed in a biocompatible microemulsion is promising and highlights the importance of optimisation studies in combination with in vivo experiments.

Protein delivery using nanoparticles based on microemulsions with different structure-types.

Poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles based on microemulsions with different structure-types and containing insulin as a model protein were prepared and characterised in this study. A phase diagram of the pseudoternary system isopropyl myristate, caprylocaproyl macrogolglycerides, polyglycerol oleate and water was established. All compounds used in this study were pharmaceutically acceptable and biocompatible. The area in the phase diagram containing optically isotropic, monophasic systems was designated as the microemulsion region. Systems within this region were identified as water-in-oil (w/o), bicontinuous and oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions with viscosity, conductivity, differential scanning calorimetry and self-diffusion NMR. The size distributions of the resulting nanoparticles prepared by interfacial polymerisation from selected microemulsions using ethyl (2) cyanoacrylate and butyl (2) cyanoacrylate were unimodal but template- and monomer-dependent and ranged from 160 to 400 nm. Entrapment and release of insulin were also studied. Entrapment ranged from 11.5 to 20.9% and a near zero-order release was observed after an initial burst. Release of insulin was monitored for 6h. Insulin-loaded nanoparticles were 320-350 nm in size. The microemulsion-structure was retained during the polymerisation process as determined by NMR. This study showed that these microemulsions with flexible formulation possibilities for the solubilisation of peptides and proteins depending on their microstructure could serve well as a platform for designing encapsulation processes for oral delivery of insulin.

Microemulsions containing lecithin and sugar-based surfactants: nanoparticle templates for delivery of proteins and peptides.

Two pseudo-ternary systems comprising isopropyl myristate, soybean lecithin, water, ethanol and either decyl glucoside (DG) or capryl-caprylyl glucoside (CCG) as surfactant were investigated for their potential to form microemulsion templates to produce nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles for proteins and peptides. All microemulsion and nanoparticle compounds used were pharmaceutically acceptable and biocompatible. Phase diagrams were established and characterized using polarizing light microscopy, viscosity, conductivity, electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and self-diffusion NMR. An area in the phase diagrams containing optically isotropic, monophasic systems was designated as the microemulsion region and systems therein identified as solution-type microemulsions. Poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles prepared by interfacial polymerisation from selected microemulsions ranged from 145 to 660nm in size with a unimodal size distribution depending on the type of monomer (ethyl (2) or butyl (2) cyanoacrylate) and microemulsion template. Generally larger nanoparticles were formed by butyl (2) cyanoacrylate. Insulin was added as a model protein and did not alter the physicochemical behaviour of the microemulsions or the morphology of the nanoparticles. However, insulin-loaded nanoparticles in the CCG containing system decreased in size when using butyl (2) cyanoacrylate. This study shows that microemulsions containing sugar-based surfactants are suitable formulation templates for the formation of nanoparticles to deliver peptides.

Preparation of poly (alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles by polymerization of water-free microemulsions.

Phase diagrams of the pseudoternary systems ethyloleate, polyoxyethylene 20 sorbitan mono-oleate/sorbitan monolaurate and propylene glycol with and without butanol as a co-surfactant were prepared. Areas containing optically isotropic, one-phase systems were identified and samples therein designated as droplet, bicontinuous or solution type microemulsions using conductivity, viscosity and self-diffusion NMR. Nanoparticles were prepared by polymerization of selected microemulsions with ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate and the morphology of the particles was investigated. Addition of monomer to all types of microemulsions led to the formation of nanoparticles, which had an average size of 244 +/- 25 nm, an average polydispersity index of 0.15 +/- 0.04 and a zeta-potential of -17 +/- 3 mV. The formation of particles from water-free microemulsions of different types is surprising, particularly considering that polymerization is expected to occur at a water-oil interface by base-catalysed polymerization. It would appear that propylene glycol is sufficiently nucleophilic to initiate the polymerization. The use of water-free microemulsions as templates for the preparation of poly (alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles opens up interesting opportunities for the encapsulation of bioactives which do not have suitable properties for encapsulation on the basis of water-containing microemulsions.

Characterization of microemulsion structures in the pseudoternary phase diagram of isopropyl palmitate/water/Brij 97:1-butanol.

This research was aimed to characterize microemulsion systems of isopropyl palmitate (IPP), water, and 2:1 Brij 97 and 1-butanol by different experimental techniques. A pseudoternary phase diagram was constructed using water titration method. At 45% wt/wt surfactant system, microemulsions containing various ratios of water and IPP were prepared and identified by electrical conductivity, viscosity, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cryo-field emission scanning electron microscopy (cryo-FESEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results from conductivity and viscosity suggested a percolation transition from water-in-oil (water/oil) to oil-in-water (oil/water) microemulsions at 30% wt/wt water. From DSC results, the exothermic peak of water and the endothermic peak of IPP indicated that the transition of water/oil to oil/water microemulsions occurred at 30% wt/wt water. Cryo-FESEM photomicrographs revealed globular structures of microemulsions at higher than 15% wt/wt water. In addition, self-diffusion coefficients determined by NMR reflected that the diffusability of water increased at higher than 35% wt/wt water, while that of IPP was in reverse. Therefore, the results from all techniques are in good agreement and indicate that the water/oil and oil/water transition point occurred in the range of 30% to 35% wt/wt water.