Improved Activity of Rifampicin Against Biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus by Multicomponent Complexation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a multicomponent complex (MC) between rifampicin (RIF), ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), and selected amino acids to enhance the solubility and antibiofilm activity of RIF. After performing phase-solubility studies that demonstrated a considerable increase in the solubility of RIF for the MC, the corresponding solid system was prepared by a freeze-drying method. Characterization of the MC was performed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Structural analyses evidenced molecular interactions between the components, resulting in a MC with amorphous solid features. Structural studies involving both experimental (i.e., 1H NMR) and theoretical (i.e., molecular modeling) methodologies demonstrated the inclusion of the RIF piperazine ring in the ß-CD cavity. The bioactivity of the MC measured against biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus showed a significant reduction in the metabolic activity of the bacterium. Overall, the studied MC exhibited promising properties for the development of pharmaceutical formulations to treat bacterial infections.

Preparation of Chloramphenicol/Amino Acid Combinations Exhibiting Enhanced Dissolution Rates and Reduced Drug-Induced Oxidative Stress.

Chloramphenicol is an old antibiotic agent that is re-emerging as a valuable alternative for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, it exhibits suboptimal biopharmaceutical properties and toxicity profiles. In this work, chloramphenicol was combined with essential amino acids (arginine, cysteine, glycine, and leucine) with the aim of improving its dissolution rate and reduce its toxicity towards leukocytes. The chloramphenicol/amino acid solid samples were prepared by freeze-drying method and characterized in the solid state by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. The dissolution properties, antimicrobial activity, reactive oxygen species production, and stability of the different samples were studied. The dissolution rate of all combinations was significantly increased in comparison to that of the pure active pharmaceutical ingredient. Additionally, oxidative stress production in human leukocytes caused by chloramphenicol was decreased in the chloramphenicol/amino acid combinations, while the antimicrobial activity of the antibiotic was maintained. The CAP:Leu binary combination resulted in the most outstanding solid system makes it suitable candidate for the development of pharmaceutical formulations of this antimicrobial agent with an improved safety profile.

Triethanolamine stabilization of methotrexate-ß-cyclodextrin interactions in ternary complexes.

The interaction of methotrexate (MTX) with beta-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) in the presence of triethanolamine (TEA) was investigated with the aim to elucidate the mechanism whereby self-assembly cyclodextrin systems work in association with this third component. Solubility diagram studies showed synergic increment of the MTX solubility to be about thirty-fold. Experiments using 2D ROESY and molecular modeling studies revealed the inclusion of aromatic ring III of the drug into ß-CD cavity, in which TEA contributes by intensifying MTX interaction with ß-CD and stabilizes MTX:ß-CD:TEA ternary complex by electrostatic interaction. The maintenance of these interactions in solid phase was also studied in ternary MTX:ß-CD:TEA and comparisons were made with freeze dried binary MTX:ß-CD and physical mixtures. FTIR studies evidenced that MTX-ß-CD interaction remained in solid ternary complexes, which was also supported by thermal (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG)/first derivative of TG analysis (DTG) and C,N,H elementary analysis) and structural (X-ray diffraction analysis, (XRD)) studies, mainly regarding the increment of drug stability. The efficient in vitro drug dissolution studies successfully demonstrated the contribution of ternary complexes, which highlights the importance of this possible new raw material for further applications in drug delivery systems.

Increasing doxycycline hyclate photostability by complexation with ß-cyclodextrin.

Doxycycline hyclate (DOX) is a highly photosensitive drug, a feature that limits the stability of the corresponding dosage forms. The main objectives of this work were the preparation and characterization of an inclusion complex of DOX with ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) and to investigate if this approach could improve the photostability of the drug. Guest-host interactions were investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance, which were afterwards combined with molecular modeling methods to study the complex formation and its three-dimensional structure was proposed. A freeze-drying method was applied to obtain the complex in the solid state, which was further confirmed by thermal and spectroscopic techniques. To evaluate the complexation effect on DOX integrity, the photostability of the inclusion complex was studied, with a significant decrease in the photodegradation of DOX being found in aqueous solution upon complexation. Finally, the photoprotection produced by the complexation was evaluated by means of an antimicrobial assay. Overall, the presented results suggest that the formulation of DOX complexed with ßCD constitutes an interesting approach for the preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms of DOX with enhanced stability properties.

Binding of sulfamethazine to ß-cyclodextrin and methyl-ß-cyclodextrin.

ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) and methyl-ß-cyclodextrin (MßCD) complexes with sulfamethazine (SMT) were prepared and characterized by different experimental techniques, and the effects of ßCD and MßCD on drug solubility were assessed via phase-solubility analysis. The phase-solubility diagram for the drug showed an increase in water solubility, with the following affinity constants calculated: 40.4±0.4 (pH 2.0) and 29.4±0.4 (pH 8.0) M(-1) with ßCD and 56±1 (water), 39±3 (pH 2.0) and 39±5 (pH 8.0) M(-1) with MßCD. According to (1)H NMR and 2D NMR spectroscopy, the complexation mode involved the aromatic ring of SMT included in the MßCD cavity. The complexes obtained in solid state by freeze drying were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The amorphous complexes obtained in this study may be useful in the preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms of SMT.

Cyclodextrins and Their Derivatives as Drug Stability Modifiers.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides that contain a relatively hydrophobic central cavity and a hydrophilic outer surface. They are widely used to form non-covalent inclusion complexes with many substances. Although such inclusion complexes typically exhibit higher aqueous solubility and chemical stability than pure drugs, it has been shown that CDs can promote the degradation of some drugs. This property of stabilizing certain drugs while destabilizing others can be explained by the type of CD used and the structure of the inclusion complex formed. In addition, the ability to form complexes of CDs can be improved through the addition of suitable auxiliary substances, forming multicomponent complexes. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the effect that binary and multicomponent complexes have on the chemical and physical stability of complexed drugs. The objective of this review is to summarize the studies on the stabilizing and destabilizing effects of complexes with CDs on drugs that exhibit stability problems.

Development and Characterization of Pharmaceutical Systems Containing Rifampicin.

Rifampicin is a potent antimicrobial drug with some suboptimal properties, such as poor stability, low solubility, and variable bioavailability. Therefore, in the current study, a multicomponent complex between rifampicin, γ-cyclodextrin, and arginine was prepared with the aim of improving drug properties. Solubility was evaluated by phase-solubility studies. The mechanism of interaction was established through proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Physicochemical characterization was investigated using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The dissolution properties, antimicrobial activity (antibacterial, antibiofilm, and antileishmanial), and stability of the different samples were studied. The results obtained in this investigation demonstrate that multicomponent complexes can improve the water solubility and dissolution rate of rifampicin, as well as its antibacterial and antileishmanial action, and present suitable stability. In conclusion, rifampicin complexed with γ-cyclodextrin and arginine is an attractive approach for developing pharmaceutical dosage forms of rifampicin with increased antimicrobial activities.

Cyclodextrin Multicomponent Complexes: Pharmaceutical Applications.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are naturally available water-soluble cyclic oligosaccharides widely used as carriers in the pharmaceutical industry for their ability to modulate several properties of drugs through the formation of drug-CD complexes. The addition of an auxiliary substance when forming multicomponent complexes is an adequate strategy to enhance complexation efficiency and to facilitate the therapeutic applicability of different drugs. This review discusses multicomponent complexation using amino acids; organic acids and bases; and water-soluble polymers as auxiliary excipients. Special attention is given to improved properties by including information on the solubility, dissolution, permeation, stability and bioavailability of several relevant drugs. In addition, the use of multicomponent CD complexes to enhance therapeutic drug effects is summarized.

Simultaneous improvement of ketoconazole solubility, antifungal and antibiofilm activity by multicomponent complexation.

Background: A novel multicomponent complex (MC) of ketoconazole (KET) with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was developed with the purpose of improving the solubility as well as the antifungal and antibiofilm activity of KET against Candida albicans. Results & methodology: The interactions among the components were studied using nuclear magnetic resonance, thermal analysis, powder x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Phase-solubility studies demonstrated a considerable increase in the solubility of the MC. An enhancement in antibiofilm and antifungal activity of MC was determined against C. albicans by XTT assay and microbiological studies. Conclusion: This MC, with improvements in the drug pharmaceutical performance, might have an important potential in the development of new pharmaceutical formulations of KET.

Nanostructured Gold Coating for Prevention of Biofilm Development in Medical Devices.

Bacterial biofilms on medical devices (MDs) can cause deadly infections due to their resistance to antibiotics. Technology to prevent this kind of complication is urgently needed because they impact not only patients' lives but also hospital budgets. In this article, the creation and testing of an easy-to-produce antibiofilm (more precisely antibiofouling) coating are described for the first time. This coating can be applied to catheters, prostheses, and other plastic pieces, even after they have been manufactured. Rapid and ecofriendly synthesis of nanostructured gold coating was done in situ in just 15 minutes. Complete characterization and microbiological analysis of its antibiofouling capacity are presented. The coating prevents biofilm formation of pathogenic clinical isolates and ATCC strains on MDs, possibly due to its complex nanostructured gold surface. If the next generation of MDs is coated with this kind of antibiofouling technology, biofilm-related infections could be dramatically reduced. Graphical Abstract [Figure: see text].

Evaluating ternary systems with oligosaccharides as a strategy to improve the biopharmaceutical properties of furosemide.

Novel ternary systems with ß-cyclodextrin or maltodextrin and triethanolamine as the third component were developed with the aim of improving the oral bioavailability of furosemide. These new solids were characterized by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The solubility, dissolution and stability (chemical and physical) were studied. Among the most important results, it was observed that both ternary systems showed an important enhancement in the solubility of the drug. In particular, the system obtained by combination of ß-cyclodextrin and TEA exhibited improvement in the dissolution profiles and photo-stability of furosemide compared with the binary system previously reported. Moreover, this system constitutes an interesting therapeutic alternative as it did not produce cellular toxicity compared with free furosemide. In conclusion, the results obtained revealed that this ternary system establishes a promising approach for oral delivery of the drug.

Synthesis and characterization of supramolecular systems containing nifedipine, ß-cyclodextrin and aspartic acid.

The purpose of this work was to characterize complexes of nifedipine with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), with and without auxiliary agents, to improve aqueous solubility and the dissolution profile of nifedipine. Complexes were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, thermoanalytical methods, powder X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, phase solubility analysis and dissolution studies. Spatial configurations were determined by NMR and further examined using computational techniques. This investigation showed that the amino acid Asp was the most efficient auxiliary agent for multicomponent complexes. The spatial configurations were consistent with those obtained by molecular modelling; evidencing that nifedipine inserted its aromatic ring into ß-CD, in all complexes, with Asp interacting with the wide hydrophilic rim of ß-CD. The dissolution rates of nifedipine:ß-CD:Asp complexes were significantly increased compared to those of the pure drug or nifedipine:ß-CD. These results indicate that the nifedipine:ß-CD:Asp system is a promising approach for the preparation of optimized formulations of nifedipine.

Specific binding capacity of beta-cyclodextrin with cis and trans enalapril: physicochemical characterization and structural studies by molecular modeling.

The main objective of this work was to study an inclusion complex between enalapril (ENA), and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). From nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) we determined that the complex showed a 1:1 stoichiometry, with an apparent formation constant (K(C)) of 439 and 290 M(-1) for the cis and trans isomers, respectively. The molecular modeling and NMR techniques demonstrated that the aromatic moiety of ENA was inserted into the hydrophobic cavity of beta-CD. When studying the chemical stability of ENA complexed to beta-CD, a clear stabilizing effect was observed in both the aqueous solution and solid state.

Characterization of systems with amino-acids and oligosaccharides as modifiers of biopharmaceutical properties of furosemide.

Furosemide is the most commonly prescribed diuretic drug in spite of its suboptimal biopharmaceutical properties. In this work, the addition of different amino-acids was studied with the aim of selecting an enhancer of the furosemide solubility. The best results were obtained with arginine. Also, binary (furosemide:arginine) and ternary (furosemide:arginine:ß-cyclodextrin and furosemide:arginine:maltodextrin) systems were prepared by the kneading method and they were compared with their corresponding physical mixtures. These new systems were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, dissolution studies were performed in simulated gastric fluid. The best results in relation to improving biopharmaceutical properties were obtained with a binary combination of furosemide and arginine, demonstrating that this system could result in a suitable candidate for the development of a promising pharmaceutical formulation of the drug.

Toward novel antiparasitic formulations: Complexes of Albendazole desmotropes and ß-cyclodextrin.

Novel complexes of two different solid forms of Albendazol and ß-cyclodextrin were investigated in an attempt to obtain promising candidates for the preparation of alternative matrices used in pharmaceutical oral formulations. The interaction between each form of Albendazol and ß-cyclodextrin was studied in solution and solid state, in order to investigate their effect on the solubility and dissolution rate of Albendazol solid forms. The solid supramolecular systems were characterized using a variety of techniques including natural-abundance 13C cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained showed the highest increment of solubility and dissolution rate, in simulated gastric fluid, for the Albendazole II:ß-cyclodextrin systems. Thus, these new complexes constitute an interesting alternative for improving the oral bioavailability of Albendazol.

Enhanced inhibition of bacterial biofilm formation and reduced leukocyte toxicity by chloramphenicol:ß-cyclodextrin:N-acetylcysteine complex.

The purpose of this study was to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of chloramphenicol (CP) by multicomponent complexation with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The present work describes the ability of solid multicomponent complex (MC) to decrease biomass and cellular activity of Staphylococcus by crystal violet and XTT assay, and leukocyte toxicity, measuring the increase of reactive oxygen species by chemiluminescence, and using 123-dihydrorhodamine. In addition, MC was prepared by the freeze-drying or physical mixture methods, and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Nuclear magnetic resonance and phase solubility studies provided information at the molecular level on the structure of the MC and its association binding constants, respectively. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that MC formation is an effective pharmaceutical strategy that can reduce CP toxicity against leukocytes, while enhancing its solubility and antibiofilm activity.

Supramolecular aggregates of oligosaccharides with co-solvents in ternary systems for the solubilizing approach of triamcinolone.

A second compound is generally associated with oligosaccharides as a strategy to maximize the solubilizing effect for nonpolar compounds. This study elucidated the role and the mechanism whereby liquid compounds interact in these supramolecular aggregates in the solubilization of triamcinolone. Three different oligosaccharides (beta-cyclodextrin, 2-hydroxipropil-beta-cyclodextrin, and randomly methylated beta-cyclodextrin) and two potent co-solvents (triethanolamine and N-methyl pyrrolidone) were carefully evaluated by using three distinct experimental approaches. Incredibly stable complexes were formed with cyclodextrins (CDs). The structure of the complexes was elucidated by magnetic resonance spectra 2D-ROESY. The interactions of the protons of ring "A" of the drug with H(3) and H(5) protons of the CD cavity observed in the binary complexes remained in both ternary complexes. Unlike the observed ternary associations with triethanolamine, N-methyl pyrrolidone competed with the triamcinolone CD cavity and considerably decreased the stability of the complex and the solubility of the drug. The molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum mechanics:molecular mechanics (QM:MM) calculations supported that triethanolamine stabilized the drug-CD interactions for the conformer identified in the 2D-ROESY experiments, improving the quality and uniformity of the formed complex. The role played by the co-solvent in the ternary complexes depends on its specific ability to interact with the CD cavity in the presence of the drug, which can be predicted in theoretical studies to select the best candidate.

Quantitative analysis of enalapril by 1H NMR spectroscopy in tablets.

A simple, rapid, accurate and selective 1H NMR method was developed for quantitative determination of enalapril maleate in pharmaceutical preparations. Spectra were determined in D2O, using L-leucine as internal standard. Both synthetic mixtures and commercial dosage forms were assayed, and the results were compared to those obtained using the USP XXIV procedure and were both in close agreement.

Inclusion complexes of chloramphenicol with ß-cyclodextrin and aminoacids as a way to increase drug solubility and modulate ROS production.

The aim of this study was to improve the solubility of chloramphenicol and reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in leucocytes induced by this drug, using complexation. Multicomponent complexes were prepared by the addition of ß-cyclodextrin with glycine or cysteine. Nuclear magnetic resonance and phase solubility studies provided information at the molecular level on the structure of the complexes and their association binding constants, respectively. In the solid state, all systems were extensively characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction. Antimicrobial activity of inclusion complexes was investigated by agar diffusion methods. Finally ROS determination by chemiluminescence was used to investigate the effect of complex formation on the potential toxicity in human leucocytes. These studies revealed that multicomponent complexes can increase the aqueous solubility of chloramphenicol as well as reducing the stress by ROS production in leucocytes and maintaining its microbiological activity.

Studies of pilocarpine:carbomer intermolecular interactions.

The interactions between pilocarpine (PIL) and the anionic polyelectrolyte carbomer (CBR) were investigated. The effects of the chemical interactions on the chemical stability of the drug also were evaluated. The binary system was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis. The experiments showed that the complex, prepared by freeze-drying, is a solid amorphous form different from its precursors, thereby offering an interesting alternative for the preparation of extended release matrices. The solution stability of PIL was studied at pH 7 and 8, at 70 °C. The PIL solution stability was evaluated alone and in the presence of CBR. Results indicated that the drug in the presence of the polymer is 3.3 and 3.5 times more stable, at pH 7 and pH 8, respectively, than the drug without CBR. The activation energy and the frequency factor, according to Arrhenius plot, were estimated to be 13.9 ± 0.4 and 14.8 ± 0.5 kcalmol(-1), and 6.1 ± 0.3 and 7.6 ± 0.3, with and without the polymer, respectively.