Pharmaceutical development of a parenteral lyophilized formulation of the novel antitumor agent aplidine.

Aplidine is a naturally occurring cyclic depsipeptide isolated from the Mediterranean tunicate Aplidium albicans. Aplidine displays promising in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities against various solid human tumor xenografts and is therefore developed now for clinical testing. The aim of this study was to develop a stable parenteral pharmaceutical dosage form for clinical Phase I testing. Aplidine raw material was characterized by using several chromatographic and spectrometric techniques. These experiments showed that aplidine exists as two isomers. A stability-indicating HPLC assay was developed. Solubility testing showed that aplidine exhibits very poor aqueous solubility. Because solubilized aplidine showed substantial degradation under heat and light stress testing conditions, it was decided to develop a lyophilized dosage form. Freeze-drying was carried out with a 500 micrograms/mL solution of aplidine in 40% (v/v) tert-butanol in Water for Injection (WfI) containing 25 mg/mL D-mannitol as a bulking agent. Differential scanning calorimetry was applied to determine the optimal freeze-drying cycle parameters. The prototype, containing 500 micrograms aplidine and 25 mg D-mannitol per vial, was found to be the optimal formulation in terms of solubility, length of lyophilization cycle, and dosage requirements in the forthcoming Phase I clinical studies. Quality control of the freeze-dried formulation demonstrates that the manufacturing process does not affect the integrity of aplidine. The optimal reconstitution solution was found to be 15/15/70% (v/v/v) Cremophor EL/ethanol/WfI (CEW). Both reconstituted product and dilutions of the reconstituted product with normal saline (up to 1:100 v/v) appeared to be stable for at least 24 hours after preparation. Shelf-life data, available thus far, show that the lyophilized formulation is stable for at least 1 year when stored at +2-8 degrees C in the dark.

In vitro biocompatibility studies with the experimental anticancer agent BIBX1382BS.

The novel anticancer agent BIBX1382BS is a representative of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors. BIBX1382BS, for parenteral use, is formulated pharmaceutically as a lyophilized product containing 100 mg BIBX1382BS per dosage unit. This in vitro study was performed to establish the optimal intravenous administration conditions (infusion concentration and infusion rate) for the forthcoming clinical absolute oral bioavailability study of BIBX1382BS. BIBX1382BS infusion solutions have a low pH in order to keep the substance in solution. We therefore decided to investigate the hemolytic and precipitation potential of the drug in vitro. Also, the ratio of formulation (F) solution volume and a blood simulans (B) volume necessary to reach the physiological pH, expressed as the FB-ratio, was determined in vitro. On the basis of the results obtained, it is advised to administer BIBX1382BS infusion at a concentration of 1 mg/ml and a maximum infusion rate of 10 ml/min. This article describes the in vitro biocompatibility screening program.

Cytotoxicity and neurocytotoxicity of new marine anticancer agents evaluated using in vitro assays.

PURPOSE: New classes of anticancer drugs, isolated from marine organisms, have been shown to possess cytotoxic activity against multiple tumor types. Aplidine, didemnin B, and isohomohalichondrin B (IHB), among the more promising antitumor candidates, have been evaluated in the present study on a comparative basis in terms of their antiproliferative activity and neurotoxic effects in vitro. METHODS: Using a panel of different human, prostatic cancer cell lines (DU 145, PC-3 and LNCaP-FGC) the effects of Aplidine, didemnin B, and IHB on tumor cell proliferation were tested in a colorimetric (XTT) assay and compared with the effects of vincristine, vinorelbine, and Taxol. Under analogous in vitro conditions these drugs were also monitored for neurocytotoxic effects using a PC 12 cell line based model. RESULTS: Didemnin B and - especially - Aplidine were more effective in the inhibition of prostate cancer cell proliferation than vincristine, vinorelbine or Taxol at concentration levels between 5 and 50 pmol/ml. At these same concentrations, however, Didemnin B and Aplidine were also most potent in the in vitro neurotoxicity assays. IHB was found to exert even more potent antiproliferative activity (at concentration levels between 0.05 and 0.1 pmol/ml). However, neurotoxic effects were also found to be present at these levels. After drug withdrawal, the neurotoxic damage, inflicted by aplidine or IHB appeared to be more long lasting than after vincristine or vinorelbine exposure. CONCLUSIONS: These results point to high antiproliferative activity of aplidine and IHB in prostate cancer. At the same time, the data urge some caution in the clinical use of these agents because of potential neurotoxic side-effects. The use of a newly formulated Aplidine may involve a more favorable therapeutic profile.

Bioanalysis of aplidine, a new marine antitumoral depsipeptide, in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography after derivatization with trans-4-hydrazino-2-stilbazole.

A sensitive bio-analytical assay in plasma of the depsipeptide aplidine is reported, based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection of the trans-4'-hydrazino-2-stilbazole (4'H2S) derivative of the analyte. At ambient temperature, two conformations of the depsipeptide are observed in solution due to cis-trans isomerism at the proline-pyruvoyl peptide bond. Aplidine is isolated from the matrix by solid-phase extraction on an octadecyl modified silica stationary phase. After evaporation of the acetone eluate, a derivatization with 4'H2S is performed in a water-acetonitrile mixture at pH 4. The reaction mixture is injected directly into the chromatograph and the analyte is quantified by fluorescence detection at 410 and 560 nm for excitation and emission, respectively. The method has been validated in the 2-100 ng/ml-range, 2 ng/ml being the lower limit of quantification. Precision and accuracy both meet the current requirements for a bioanalytical assay. The identity of the 4'H2S reaction products of aplidine have been confirmed by mass spectrometric analysis. Finally, the method has been employed for a pilot pharmacokinetic study of aplidine in mice which demonstrated its usefulness for pharmacological research.

Bioanalysis of thiocoraline, a new marine antitumoral depsipeptide, in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection.

A sensitive bioanalytical assay for thicoraline, an investigational marine anticancer agent, in plasma, based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection, is reported. The proteins in the sample are precipitated by the addition of acetonitrile. After centrifugation, the supernatant is injected directly into the chromatograph. The analyte is quantified by fluorescence detection with excitation and emission at 365 and 540 nm, respectively. The method has been validated in the 1-100 ng/ml range, 1 ng/ml being the lower limit of quantification. Precision and accuracy both meet the current requirements for a bio-analytical assay and are <15% at 1 ng/ml and < or =5% in the 5-100 ng/ml range. Plasma samples can be stored for at least 4 months at -80 degrees C. Finally, the usefulness of this method for pharmacological research was shown in a pilot study of the pharmacokinetics of thiocoraline in rats.

Compatibility and stability of aplidine, a novel marine-derived depsipeptide antitumor agent, in infusion devices, and its hemolytic and precipitation potential upon i.v. administration.

Aplidine is a novel marine-derived antitumor agent isolated from the Mediterranean tunicate Aplidium albicans. The compound is pharmaceutically formulated as a lyophilized product containing 500 microg active substance per dosage unit. Prior to i.v. administration it is reconstituted with a solution composed of Cremophor EL, ethanol absolute and Water for Injection (15/15/70% v/v/v) with further dilution in 0.9% w/v sodium chloride for infusion (normal saline). The aim of this study was to investigate the compatibility of aplidine infusion solutions with polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-containing and PVC-free administration sets, and to determine the stability of aplidine after reconstitution and further dilution in infusion solutions. Furthermore, in vitro biocompatibility studies to estimate the hemolytic and precipitation potential of aplidine infusion solutions upon i.v. administration were conducted. In this study we show that sorption of aplidine to PVC and to a lesser extent to PVC-free administration set materials occurs. Also, most probably due to the presence of Cremophor EL in the infusion solution, significant leaching of diethylhexyl phtalate (DEHP) from the PVC administration set occurs. After reconstitution and dilution the drug is stable for at least 24 and 48 h, respectively, in glass containers when stored at room temperature (20-25 degrees C) and ambient light conditions. We found that aplidine should be administered in infusion concentrations equal or above 28.8 microg/ml using a PVC-free administration set consisting of a glass container and PVC-free infusion tubing. After reconstitution it must be diluted further with normal saline within 24 h after preparation and subsequently administered to the patient within 48 h. Additionally, results from the biocompatibility studies show that neither hemolysis nor precipitation of aplidine is expected upon i.v. administration.

Pharmaceutical development of a parenteral lyophilized formulation of the investigational antitumor neuropeptide antagonist [Arg6, D-Trp7,9, MePhe8]-Substance P [6-11].

The aim of this study was to develop a stable parenteral dosage form for the investigational cytotoxic drug [Arg6, D-Trp79,MePhe8]-Substance P [6-11] (Substance P Antagonist G; Antagonist G). Antagonist G bulk drug was structurally and analytically characterized. The drug exhibits excellent aqueous solubility, although relatively poor aqueous stability characteristics. Lyophilization was, therefore, selected as the manufacturing process. Differential scanning calorimetry studies were conducted to determine the freeze-drying cycle parameters which resulted in a stable, lyophilized formulation of Antagonist G. The prototype, containing 50 mg Antagonist G per vial, was found to be the optimal formulation in terms of solubility, length of the freeze-drying cycle, stability, and dosage requirements in the planned phase I clinical trials. Quality control of the freeze-dried formulation showed that the manufacturing process does not change the integrity of Antagonist G. Shelf life studies demonstrated that the formulation is stable for at least 3 years, when stored at 2-8 degrees C in a dark environment. Oxidative degradation products of Antagonist G were isolated and structurally characterized by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy.

Quantitative determination of Ecteinascidin 743 in human plasma by miniaturized high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

A method was developed for the bio-analysis of Ecteinascidin 743 (ET-743) using miniaturized liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to an electrospray ionization sample inlet (TurbolonSpray) and two quadrupole mass analyzers (LC/ESI-MS/MS). Solid-phase extraction was used as a sample pretreatment procedure. Ecteinascidin 743 is a very potent anticancer compound and is administered in microgram m-2 dosages, which demands special requirements in terms of sensitivity for the analytical method supporting clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Using conventional LC/UV, a lower limit of quantitation (LLQ) of 1 ng ml-1 plasma was reached using a 500 microliters sample volume, but LC/ESI-MS/MS permitted an LLQ of 10 pg ml-1. The latter method was found to be accurate and precise, and provided a broad linear concentration range of 0.010-2.50 ng ml-1.

Analysis of Ecteinascidin 743, a new potent marine-derived anticancer drug, in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with solid-phase extraction.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the quantification of the novel anticancer drug Ecteinascidin 743 in human plasma. The sample pretreatment of the plasma samples involved a solid-phase extraction (SPE) on cyano columns. Propyl-p-hydroxybenzoate was added after the sample pretreatment to correct for variability in injection volumes. The separation was performed on a Zorbax SB-C18 column (75x4.6 mm I.D., particle size 3.5 microm) with acetonitrile-25 mM phosphate buffer, pH 5.0 (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase. The flow-rate was 1.0 ml/min and the eluent was monitored at 210 nm. The accuracies and precisions of the assay fall within +/-15% for all quality control samples and within +/-20% for the lower limit of quantitation, which was 1.0 ng/ml using 500 microl of plasma. The overall recovery of the sample pretreatment procedure for Ecteinascidin 743 was 87.0+/-5.9%. The drug was found to be stable in human plasma at -30 degrees C for at least 2 months. At room temperature Ecteinascidin 743 was stable in human plasma for 5 h at most.

Comparative pharmacology of the novel cyclopropylpyrroloindole-prodrug carzelesin in mice, rats, and humans.

Carzelesin is a novel cyclopropylpyrroloindole prodrug analogue that has recently been tested in Phase I clinical trials. To increase our understanding in the pharmacology of this new class of cytotoxic drugs, we have compared the pharmacology of this drug in mice, rats, and humans. The mouse was the most tolerant [10% lethal dose (LD10), 500 microg/kg], the rat was intermediate (LD10, 40 microg/kg), and humans were the least tolerant species in this series (maximum tolerated dose, 300 microg/m2 corresponding to 7.5 microg/kg). In both mice and humans, bone marrow toxicity was the primary toxic side effect. Pharmacokinetic studies, using a validated high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure, revealed that differences in drug clearance and conversion to the active drug (U-76,074) could not explain the substantial interspecies differences. The area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUCs) of carzelesin in mice and rats at their LD10s were about 80- and 20-fold higher, respectively, than in humans receiving the maximum tolerated dose, whereas the respective AUCs of U-76,074 in mice and rats were 50- and 10-fold higher. By using a colony-forming assay with bone marrow stem cells from mice and humans, we observed only a 3-fold higher toxicity in the latter. Although some of this discrepancy may be explained by the fact that the in vitro and the in vivo assays probably reflect the toxicity on different populations of colony-forming units, the tolerance of the mouse bone marrow in vivo against the very high drug levels in plasma suggest the presence of a protective mechanism, which is less active in humans. An important consequence of the much higher susceptibility of the human bone marrow for carzelesin is that the target plasma levels in humans are much below active concentrations achieved in mice, and it is clear that this may compromise the successful use of this agent in the clinic. Ultimately, however, the efficacy of this drug will be established in Phase II clinical trials.

A clinical pharmacokinetics study of carzelesin given by short-term intravenous infusion in a phase I study.

We investigated the pharmacokinetic behavior of carzelesin in 31 patients receiving this drug by 10-min intravenous infusion in a Phase I clinical trial, which was conducted at institutions in Nijmegen (institution 1) and Brussels (institution 2). The dose steps were 24, 48, 96, 130, 150, 170, 210, 250, and 300 microg/m2. Carzelesin is a cyclopropylpyrroloindole prodrug that requires metabolic activation via U-76,073 to U-76,074. The lower limit of quantitation (LLQ) of the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method used in this study was 1 ng/ml for the parent drug and its metabolic products. Carzelesin was rapidly eliminated from plasma (elimination half-life 23 +/- 9 min; mean value +/- SD). At all dose levels, U-76,073 was found as early as in the first samples taken after the start of the infusion. However, the concentration of U-76,074 exceeded the LLQ for only short periods and only at the higher dose levels. Although the plasma levels of all three compounds were well above the respective IC50 values obtained by in vitro clonogenic assays, they were much lower than those observed in a preclinical study in mice. There was a substantial discrepancy in the mean plasma clearance observed between patients from institution 1 (7.9 +/- 2.1 l h[-1] m[-2]) and those from institution 2 (18.4 +/- 13.6 l h[-1] m[-2]; P = 0.038), probably reflecting problems with drug administration in the latter institution. The results recorded for patients in institution 1 indicated that the AUC increased proportionately with increasing doses. There was a good correlation between the maximal plasma concentration and the AUC, enabling future monitoring of drug exposure from one timed blood sample. Urinary excretion of carzelesin was below 1% of the delivered dose.

Pharmaceutical development of a parenteral formulation of the investigational anticancer drug clanfenur.

A stable parenteral dosage form for the investigational cytotoxic drug clanfenur was designed, and the bulk drug was characterized by its nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, infrared, and ultraviolet spectra. The 1H and 13C spectra show clanfenur to be a mixture of two stereoisomers. Because of poor solubility in aqueous solution and precipitation in co-solvent, surfactant, or emulsion systems, a two-pump infusion system was developed for intravenous administration. Clanfenur, solubilized in a Cremophor EL/ethanol (1:1, w/v) solution (concentration, 15 mg/mL), can be simultaneously infused with 5% dextrose infusion fluid. Total doses of up to 1,680 mg of clanfenur (and 56 g of Cremophor EL) theoretically can be administered to patients over a 6-hour period. From accelerated stability testing of clanfenur in the Cremophor EL/ethanol (1:1, w/v) formulation, a shelf life of 3.5 years at 4 degrees C and of 4 months at 25 degrees C is calculated.

Systematic study on the chemical stability of the prodrug antitumor agent carzelesin (U-80,244)

The chemical stability of the novel anticancer agent carzelesin in aqueous buffer/acetonitrile (1:1, v/v) mixtures has been investigated utilizing a stability-indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay. The degradation kinetics of carzelesin has been studied as a function of pH, buffer composition, ionic strength, and temperature. Degradation of carzelesin follows (pseudo-) first-order kinetics. A pH-rate profile, using rate constants extrapolated to zero buffer concentration, was constructed demonstrating that carzelesin is most stable in the pH region 1-4. The degradation rate of carzelesin was not significantly affected by buffer components and by the ionic strength. In addition to the formation of the degradation products U-76,073, U-76,074, and aniline in alkaline medium and in acetate buffer solution, another degradation product was formed in acetate buffer solution. In perchloric acid buffer solution (pH* < 3), U-76,073 and U-76,074 could not be detected as degradation products.

Purity determinations in the bulk drug of the novel indoloquinone antitumor agent EO9.

The pharmaceutical development of the investigational cytotoxic drug EO9 included the structural characterization of the bulk drug by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and analytical characterization by high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry. The presence of impurities in the bulk drug was investigated. The intermediates in the synthesis of EO9 were structurally characterized by NMR spectroscopy and MS, and analytically characterized by HPLC analysis with photodiode array (PDA) detection. All of the intermediates were below their limits of detection in EO9 bulk drug. The amounts of residual organic solvents were determined by gas chromatography. Methanol and ethanol were detected, but the amounts present did not exceed the limits as set in the United States Pharmacopeia XXII.

The influence of formulation excipients on the stability of the novel antitumor agent carzelesin (U-80,244).

The stability of carzelesin in a polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400)/absolute ethanol/polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) (6:3:1, v/v/v) formulation (PET formulation) was investigated as a function of the inter-batch variability of the three excipients. Twenty different PET formulations were tested and the stability of carzelesin in the PET formulation was found to be influenced by the type of PEG 400 used. Subsequent investigations showed that the pH of PEG 400, and consequently the pH of the PET formulation, was responsible for the variable stability characteristics of carzelesin in the PET formulation. The higher the pH of the PET formulation, the higher the rate of degradation of carzelesin in PET. The major degradation products were found to be U-76,073 and U-76,074.

CRC/EORTC/NCI Joint Formulation Working Party: experiences in the formulation of investigational cytotoxic drugs.

The pharmaceutical formulation of a new anti-tumour agent has often been perceived as the bottleneck in anti-cancer drug development. In order to increase the speed of this essential development step, the Cancer Research Campaign (CRC), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) agreed in 1987 to form the Joint Formulation Working Party (JFWP). The main goal of the JFWP is to facilitate the rapid progress of a new drug through pharmaceutical developmental to preclinical toxicology and subsequently to phase I clinical trial. Under the auspices of the JFWP around 50 new agents have been developed or are currently in development. In this report we present our formulation experiences since the establishment of the JFWP with a selected number of agents: aphidicolin glycinate, bryostatin 1, carmethizole, carzelesin, combretastatin A4, dabis maleate, disulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine, E.O.9, 4-hydroxyanisole, pancratistatin, rhizoxin, Springer pro-drug, SRI 62-834, temozolomide, trimelamol and V489. The approaches used and problems presented may be of general interest to scientists in related fields and those considering submitting agents for development.

Pharmaceutical development of a parenteral lyophilized formulation of the novel indoloquinone antitumor agent EO9.

The aim of this study was to design a stable parenteral dosing form of the investigational cytotoxic drug, encoded EO9. EO9 exhibits poor aqueous solubility and stability characteristics. Freeze-drying was selected as the manufacturing process. Differential scanning calorimetry studies were conducted to determine the freeze-drying cycle parameters. A stable lyophilized formulation of EO9 was developed. The prototype, containing 8.0 mg EO9 and 200 mg lactose/vial, was found to be the optimal formulation in terms of solubility, length of the freeze-drying cycle, stability, and dosing requirements for phase I clinical trials. Quality control of the freeze-dried formulation showed that the manufacturing process does not change the integrity of EO9. Shelf-life studies demonstrated that the formulation remains stable for at least 1 year when stored at +4 degrees C in a dark environment.

Fully automated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of carzelesin (U-80,244) and metabolites (U-76,073 and U-76,074) in human plasma.

Carzelesin (U80,244, I) is a cyclopropylpyrroloindole prodrug analog. The compound exerts its cytotoxic activity after conversion, via U-76,073 (II) to U-76,074 (III) by binding to the DNA minor groove in a sequence selective fashion. In pre-clinical investigations the drug displayed a broad spectrum activity against human xenografts in mice. To enable pharmacokinetic monitoring during the phase I clinical trials, we have developed a selective and sensitive assay for the parent compound and its two metabolites. Sample pre-treatment has been automated by using the ASPEC system and involves solid-phase extraction of the diluted plasma sample (1:3 in 20% v/v acetic acid) on an SPE-C18 precolumn followed by two consecutive washings with water and acetonitrile. The compounds are eluted with 600 microliters of dimethylacetamide and 500 microliters is injected on a Spherisorb-CN column. The sample is chromatographed using a linear gradient from 24% to 60% (v/v) acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.5). The eluate fraction containing the three compounds is heart-cutted in a 2-ml sample loop, switched onto a Spherisorb-ODS column and separation is accomplished using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-20 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.5 (64:36, v/v). UV detection is used with absorbance monitored at 360 nm. This highly selective method offers a lower limit of detection of less than 1 ng/ml for each of the compounds using 1000 microliters of plasma and enables the quantification of the analytes with an acceptable precision and accuracy over a range of 1 to 50 ng/ml. The assay has been implemented in a phase I clinical trial.

Pharmaceutical development of a parenteral formulation of the novel anti-tumor agent carzelesin (U-80,244).

The aim of this study was to design a parenteral dosage form for the investigational cytotoxic drug carzelesin. A stable formulation in PET (Polyethylene glycol 400/absolute ethanol/Tween 80, 6:3:1, v/v/v) was developed. The prototype, containing 0.50 mg carzelesin in 2.0 ml PET formulation, was found to be the optimal formulation in terms of solubility, stability and dosage requirements in phase I clinical trials. Quality control of the formulation showed that the pharmaceutical preparation of carzelesin in PET is not negatively influenced by the manufacturing process. Shelf life studies demonstrated that the formulation is stable for at least 1 year, when stored at -30 degrees C in the dark. In addition, the stability of carzelesin in the PET formulation is discussed as a function of temperature, additives and after dilution in infusion fluids.