SERCA plays a crucial role in the toxicity of a betulinic acid derivative with potential antimalarial activity.

Malaria is one of the most significant infectious diseases that affect poor populations in tropical areas throughout the world. Plants have been shown to be a good source for the development of new antimalarial chemotherapeutic agents, as shown for the discovery of quinine and artemisinin derivatives. Our research group has been working with semisynthetic triterpene derivatives that show potential antimalarial activity toward different strains of Plasmodium falciparum by specifically modulating calcium pathways in the parasite. Promising results were obtained for nanomolar concentrations of the semisynthetic betulinic acid derivative LAFIS13 against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain in vitro, with a selectivity index of 18 compared to a mammalian cell line. Continuing these studies, we present here in vitro and in vivo toxicological evaluations of this compound, followed by docking studies with PfATP6, a sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca+2-ATPase (SERCA) protein. LAFIS13 showed an LD50 between 300 and 50 mg/kg, and the acute administration of 50 mg/kg (i.p.) had no negative effects on hematological, biochemical and histopathological parameters. Based on the results of the in vitro assays, LAFIS13 not exerted significant effects on coagulation parameters of human peripheral blood, but a hemolytic activity was verified at higher concentrations. According to the molecular docking study, the PfATP6 protein may be a target for LAFIS13, which corroborates its previously reported modulatory effects on calcium homeostasis in the parasite. Notably, LAFIS13 showed a higher selectivity for the mammalian SERCA protein than for PfATP6, thus impairing the selectivity between parasite and host. In summary, the direct interaction with calcium pumps and the hemolytic potential of the compound proved to be plausible mechanism of LAFIS13 toxicity.

Development and validation of a stability-indicating liquid chromatography method for the determination of dabigatran etexilate in capsules.

An RP-LC method was developed and validated for the determination of dabigatran etexilate in a capsule formulation. The LC method was carried out on a Zorbax C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm id). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and a solution of triethylamine 0.1%, pH 6.0 adjusted with phosphoric acid (65 + 35, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The diode array detector was set at 225 nm. The chromatographic separation was obtained with retention time of 6.31 min, and linearity was in the range of 10-70 microg/mL (R2 = 0.9991). The specificity and stability-indicating capability of the method was proven through degradation studies and showing that there was no interference from the excipients. The accuracy was 100.23%, with an RSD of 1.34%. The LOD and LOQ were 0.04 and 10 microg/mL, respectively. Moreover, method validation demonstrated acceptable results for robustness and a system suitability test. The proposed method was applied for the analysis of the capsules to ensure their therapeutic efficacy.

A simple HPLC-DAD method for determination of adapalene in topical gel formulation.

A simple stability indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of adapalene in pharmaceutical gel formulation is developed and validated. An isocratic separation is performed using a Merck RP-8 (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., particle size 5 m) column and a mixture of acetonitrile water (67:33, v/v, pH adjusted to 2.5 with phosphoric acid) as the mobile phase. The detection is achieved with a photodiode array detector at 321 nm. The specificity of the method is verified by subjecting both the reference substance and the pharmaceutical form to hydrolytic, oxidative, photolytic, and thermal stress conditions. There is no interference from the excipients of the formulation on the determination of adapalene in gel. The response is linear over the concentration range of 8.0-16.0 µg/mL (r > 0.999) with a limit of detection and quantification of 0.04 and 0.14 µg/mL, respectively. The mean recovery is 100.8%. The RSD values for the intra- and inter-day precision studies are < 1.2%. The method is validated by reaching satisfactory results for linearity, selectivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, robustness, and system suitability.

Development of an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method for the determination of ceftiofur sodium powder.

A UV spectrophotometric method was developed for determination of ceftiofur sodium in the drug substance and sterile powder for injection. The method validation, which yielded good results, included evaluation of the range, linearity, intra- and interday precision, accuracy, recovery, specificity, robustness, LOQ, and LOD. The UV spectrophotometric determinations were performed at 292 nm. Good linearity was obtained between 2.5 and 20.0 microg/mL. A prospective validation showed that the method is linear (r = 0.9999) and precise, with RSD values of 0.3% for product A and 0.4% for product B. The intra- and interday precision values were < 2% for all samples analyzed. Comparison of UV spectrophotometry and LC by analysis of variance and Student's t-test showed no significant difference between methodologies. Moreover, the accuracy and precision obtained with the UV method correlated well with the values obtained with the LC method, and this correlation suggests that UV spectrophotometric analysis can be an inexpensive, reliable, and less time-consuming alternative to chromatographic analysis. The results demonstrated the validity of the proposed method as a simple and useful alternative for the determination of ceftiofur in routine QC analyses.

Treatment of invasive fungal infections: stability of voriconazole infusion solutions in PVC bags

Voriconazole is a novel broad-spectrum antifungal drug, employed in the treatment of invasive fungal infections, and represents an alternative to amphotericin B treatment. The manufacturer recommends that any unused reconstituted product should be stored at 2ºC to 8ºC, for no more than 24 h, but no recommendations about i.v. infusion solutions are given. Previous works have reported on the stability of voriconazole in polyolefin bags and just one in 5 percent dextrose polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags, at a 4 mg.mL-1 concentration. In this work, the stability of voriconazole as an i.v. infusion solution in 0.9 percent sodium chloride and in 5 percent dextrose, in PVC bags, at 0.5 mg.mL-1, stored at 4 ºC and at room temperature, protected from light, was evaluated. These infusion solutions were analyzed for a 21-day period. Chemical stability was evaluated by HPLC assay. Visual inspection was performed and pH of the solutions was measured. No color change or precipitation in the solutions was observed. The drug content remained above 90 percent for 11 days in 0.9 percent sodium chloride and for 9 days in 5 percent dextrose solutions. The i.v. infusion solutions stored at room temperature were not stable. At room temperature, the voriconazole content dropped down to 88.3 and 86.6 percent, in 0.9 percent sodium chloride or 5 percent dextrose solutions, respectively, two days after admixture. Assays performed at the end of the study suggest the sorption of voriconazole by the PVC bags. The results of this study allow cost-effective batch production in the hospital pharmacy.

Treatment of invasive fungal infections: stability of voriconazole infusion solutions in PVC bags.

Voriconazole is a novel broad-spectrum antifungal drug, employed in the treatment of invasive fungal infections, and represents an alternative to amphotericin B treatment. The manufacturer recommends that any unused reconstituted product should be stored at 2 masculineC to 8 masculineC, for no more than 24 h, but no recommendations about i.v. infusion solutions are given. Previous works have reported on the stability of voriconazole in polyolefin bags and just one in 5% dextrose polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags, at a 4 mg.mL-1 concentration. In this work, the stability of voriconazole as an i.v. infusion solution in 0.9% sodium chloride and in 5% dextrose, in PVC bags, at 0.5 mg.mL-1, stored at 4 masculineC and at room temperature, protected from light, was evaluated. These infusion solutions were analyzed for a 21-day period. Chemical stability was evaluated by HPLC assay. Visual inspection was performed and pH of the solutions was measured. No color change or precipitation in the solutions was observed. The drug content remained above 90% for 11 days in 0.9% sodium chloride and for 9 days in 5% dextrose solutions. The i.v. infusion solutions stored at room temperature were not stable. At room temperature, the voriconazole content dropped down to 88.3 and 86.6%, in 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% dextrose solutions, respectively, two days after admixture. Assays performed at the end of the study suggest the sorption of voriconazole by the PVC bags. The results of this study allow cost-effective batch production in the hospital pharmacy.

Characterization of the constituents and antioxidant activity of Brazilian green tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica IAC-259 cultivar) extracts.

Freeze-dried extracts from Camellia sinensis var. assamica IAC-259 cultivar named Brazilian green tea were prepared by hot water and ultrasound-assisted extractions using leaves harvested in spring and summer. Their caffeine and catechin contents were measured by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. The antioxidant activity of the major green tea compounds and Brazilian green tea extracts was evaluated using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The levels of caffeine were higher in the summer samples (p < 0.05); otherwise, there were no significant variations related to the catechin contents between spring and summer samples. The sonication method using water/acetone as solvent had a high efficiency to extract not only epigallocatechin gallate but also epicatechin gallate (p < 0.05). Antioxidant activities of the Brazilian green tea extracts were not significantly different among seasons and extraction systems. The antioxidant data (IC50) of the Brazilian green tea extracts showed a significant correlation with their epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate contents (p < 0.05).

Development and validation of dissolution test for ritonavir soft gelatin capsules based on in vivo data.

The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a dissolution procedure for ritonavir soft gelatin capsules (Norvir) based on in vivo data. Several conditions such as medium composition, pH, surfactant concentration and rotation speed were evaluated. The method was carried out using the same batch of Norvir used in a bioequivalence study and the in vivo data were used to select the best dissolution test conditions based on in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC). The dissolution test was validated using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC). For this formulation, the best dissolution conditions were achieved using paddle, 900ml of medium containing water with 0.7% (w/v) of sodium lauryl sulfate at a rotation speed of 25rpm. Under these conditions a significant linear relationship between fraction of ritonavir absorbed and dissolved was obtained (R(2)=0.993) and a level A IVIVC was established. In the HPLC method a relative standard deviation for intra-day precision was <1.6% and for inter-day precision was <1.4%. Accuracy was from 98.5% to 101.6% over the concentration range required for the dissolution test (4.0-124.0microg/ml). Both the HPLC method and the dissolution test are validated and could be used to evaluate the dissolution profile of ritonavir soft gelatin capsules.

Development of a microbiological assay to determine the potency of ceftiofur sodium powder.

Ceftiofur sodium is a third-generation broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic, formulated as an intramuscular injection, that is approved for use in pigs, cattle, poultry, and dogs. The present work reports a method to quantify ceftiofur in powder for injection by comparing the cylinder plate assay and the liquid chromatographic (LC) method. The assay is based on the inhibitory effect of ceftiofur upon the strain of Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240 used as the test microorganism. Ceftiofur sodium at concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 8.0 microg/mL can be measured in powder for injection. A prospective validation showed that the method is linear (r2 = 0.9998), with precise relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.8% for product A (Excenel; Pharmacia and Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI) and of 0.6% for product B (Topcef; Eurofarma Lab. Ltda, São Paulo, Brazil), with intermediate precision; between-day RSD = 1.0 and 1.1%, between-analyst RSD = 0.8 and 0.8% for products A and B, respectively and accurately. The comparison between bioassay and LC by analysis of variance and Student's t-test showed no significant difference among methodologies. The results demonstrated the validity of the proposed bioassay that is simple and a useful alternative methodology for analysis of ceftiofur in routine quality control.

Comparison of microbiological and UV-spectrophotometric assays for determination of voriconazole in tablets.

Two methods have been developed for the determination of voriconazole, a new antifungal drug, in tablets. A UV method, with detection at 255 nm, was compared with a diffusion agar bioassay, which used Sacharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 2601 as the assay organism. The developed methods were linear in the range of 3.0-12.0 and 12.0-24.0 microg/mL, for the microbiological and UV methods, respectively, both exhibiting a coefficient correlation of 0.9999. The UV method demonstrated an improved precision compared to the bioassay method (1.0 versus 2.4%). The average recovery, 99.8 and 100.9%, was suitable in both methods. The results obtained by these 2 methods were compared with those of a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method published previously, and no evidence of significant difference was observed. The proposed methods are appropriate for the determination of voriconazole in tablets and can be used in routine quality control.

Microbiological assay of ketoconazole in shampoo.

Ketoconazole, an anti-fungal agent, is often incorporated in several pharmaceutical forms and in shampoo formulation it is known to be effective against fungal infection on the scalp. This paper describes a method to quantify ketoconazole in shampoo by comparing the cylinder plate assay and the HPLC method. The test organism used for the agar diffusion assay was Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Three different concentrations of ketoconazole were used for the diffusion assay. A mean zone diameter was obtained for each concentration. A standard curve was obtained by plotting the three values derived from the zone diameters. A prospective validation of the method showed that the method was linear (r = 0.9982), precise (R.S.D. = 2.57%) and accurate. The results obtained by the two methods were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the results obtained indicate that there is no significant difference between these two methods.