Removal of ciprofloxacin in simulated digestive media by activated charcoal entrapped within zinc-pectinate beads.

Beads made of a zinc-pectinate matrix containing activated charcoal were designed for the adsorption of colonic residual antibiotics responsible of the emergence of resistance. Bead stability was shown to correlate with bead zinc content, 0.08 mg/mg being the minimal amount of zinc that protects the egg-box structure against total disintegration.

Effect of iontophoresis and penetration enhancers on transdermal absorption of metopimazine.

Background: Metopimazine is an antiemetic drug already used by oral and rectal administration. It would be interesting to develop a new formulation for a transdermal administration.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of iontophoresis on the metopimazine transdermal absorption and the possible synergistic enhancement with chemical enhancers.

Supramolecular organization and release properties of phospholipid-hyaluronan microparticles encapsulating dexamethasone.

We describe the supramolecular organization of hybrid microparticles encapsulating dexamethasone (DXM) prepared by spray drying 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-Glycero-3-Phosphocholine (DPPC) and hyaluronic acid (HA). The effect of DXM concentration on size distribution and encapsulation efficacy was evaluated as a function of HA concentration. In the absence of HA, DXM leads to a strong particle aggregation, whereas in the presence of HA, the aggregation is practically suppressed.

Squalenoylation favorably modifies the in vivo pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of gemcitabine in mice.

Gemcitabine (2',2'-difluorodeoxyribofuranosylcytosine; dFdC) is an anticancer nucleoside analog active against wide variety of solid tumors. However, this compound is rapidly inactivated by enzymatic deamination and can also induce drug resistance. To overcome the above drawbacks, we recently designed a new squalenoyl nanomedicine of dFdC [4-N-trisnorsqualenoyl-gemcitabine (SQdFdC)] by covalently coupling gemcitabine with the 1,1',2-trisnorsqualenic acid; the resultant nanomedicine displayed impressively greater anticancer activity compared with the parent drug in an experimental murine model.

Dexamethasone acetate encapsulation into Trojan particles.

We have combined the therapeutic potential of nanoparticles systems with the ease of manipulation of microparticles by developing a hybrid vector named Trojan particles. We aim to use this new delivery vehicle for intravitreal administration of dexamethasone. Initialy, dexamethasone acetate (DXA) encapsulation into biodegradable poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles was optimized.

Transport of fluoroalkyl dihydroartemisinin derivatives across rat intestinal tissue.

Artemisinin and its derivatives represent an important class of antimalarials. In order to obtain new derivatives with a longer half-life and better bioavailability, the development of fluorinated analogues has received increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the permeation of artemisinin and of two fluoroalkyl derivatives of dihydroartemisinin (DHA), namely 10beta-(trifluoropropyloxy)dihydroartemisinin (F(1)-DHA) and 10-trifluoromethyl-16-[2-(hydroxyethyl)piperazine] (F(2)-DHA), across rat intestine using Ussing diffusion chambers.

Colonic delivery of beta-lactamases does not affect amoxicillin pharmacokinetics in rats.

Pectin beads containing beta-lactamases were designed for the hydrolysis of colonic residual antibiotics responsible for the emergence of resistance. Beads were prepared by ionotropic gelation in CaCl2 and stabilized by coating with polyethylenimine (PEI) to resist disintegration in the upper GI tract. Particle characterization showed that dried beads had a diameter around 1 mm independently of the presence of PEI.

Alpha-cyclodextrin/oil beads as a new carrier for improving the oral bioavailability of lipophilic drugs.

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the potential of novel lipid-carrier "beads" consisting of minispheres made of alpha-cyclodextrin and soybean oil for the encapsulation and the oral delivery of drugs. Isotretinoin was chosen as a model of poorly-stable and lipophilic molecule. Isotretinoin-loaded beads were prepared, characterised and administrated orally in rats.

Encapsulation of dexamethasone into biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles.

The present paper concerns both the optimization of dexamethasone (DXM) entrapment and its release from biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles prepared by the solvent evaporation process. Since the addition of DXM induced the formation of drug crystals beside the nanoparticle suspension, the influence of several parameters on DXM encapsulation was investigated such as the type of organic solvent and polymer, the DXM initial mass, the evaporation rate of the solvent, the continuous phase saturation and the incorporation of a lipid in the polymer. Nanoparticle size and zeta potential were not modified in the presence of DXM and were respectively around 230 nm and -4 mV.

Interaction between miltefosine and amphotericin B: consequences for their activities towards intestinal epithelial cells and Leishmania donovani promastigotes in vitro.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of a combination of two antileishmanial drugs, miltefosine (HePC) and amphotericin B (AMB), when administered by the oral route. Caco-2 cell monolayers were used as a validated in vitro model of the intestinal barrier and Leishmania donovani promastigotes as a model for evaluating the effect of the drug combination. Spectroscopic measurements demonstrated that HePC and AMB associate, leading to the formation of mixed aggregates in which AMB is solubilized as monomers.

Sustained release of nanosized complexes of polyethylenimine and anti-TGF-beta 2 oligonucleotide improves the outcome of glaucoma surgery.

The purpose of this study was to design microspheres combining sustained delivery and enhanced intracellular penetration for ocular administration of antisense oligonucleotides. Nanosized complexes of antisense TGF-beta2 phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (PS-ODN) with polyethylenimine (PEI), and naked PS-ODN were encapsulated into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres prepared by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method. The PS-ODN was introduced either naked or complexed in the inner aqueous phase of the first emulsion.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of pectin beads for the colon delivery of beta-lactamases.

The aim of the present study was to provide a "proof of concept" of colon delivery of beta-lactamases by pectin beads aiming to degrade residual beta-lactam antibiotics, in order to prevent the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. Pectin beads were prepared according to ionotropic gelation method using CaCl2 as a gelling agent. Particles were then washed and soaked in polyethylenimine (PEI).

Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) particles of different physicochemical properties and their uptake by peyer's patches in mice.

Nano-and microparticles of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were formulated using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or hydrophobically modified hydroxyethylcellulose (HMHEC) or polyethyleneimine (PEI) as stabilizers. The uptake by murine Peyer's patches (PPs) and the binding to Peyer's patches-free tissue (PPFT) of these particles was investigated using fluorescence microscopy providing qualitative information about the tissue distribution of particles. Observations of intestinal cryo-sections showed significant discrimination in the uptake by PP of nano-and microparticles.

Synchrotron FT-IR microscopic study of chemical enhancers in transdermal drug delivery: example of fatty acids.

This article illustrates the analysis by synchrotron infrared microscopy of skin treated with penetration enhancers. Pig skin was treated with two fatty acids commonly employed as penetration enhancers, palmitic (C16) and myristic (C14) acids, in propylene glycol (PG). The use of perdeuterated fatty acid chains enabled the penetrating molecules to be perfectly distinguished from the endogenous lipids due to the difference between C-D and C-H stretching modes.

Evidence for restrictive parameters in formulation of insulin-loaded nanocapsules.

Poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) nanocapsules with an oily core were originally proposed for lipophilic drug encapsulation [Int. J. Pharm.

Novel polyester-polysaccharide nanoparticles.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to develop a new type of core-shell nanoparticles from a family of novel amphiphilic copolymers, based on dextran (DEX) grafted with poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) side chains (PCL-DEX).

Methods: A family of PCL-DEX copolymers was synthesized in which both the molecular weight and the proportion by weight of DEX in the copolymer were varied. The nanoparticles were prepared by a technique derived from emulsion-solvent evaporation, during which emulsion stability was investigated using a Turbiscan.

The stenlying effect of high hydrostatic pressure on thermally and hydrolytically labile nanosized carriers.

Purpose: To investigate whether high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment allows the sterilization of thermosensitive polymer nanoparticle suspensions without jeopardizing their physicochemical integrity.

Methods: Application of HHP was explored on a wide variety of thermosensitive poly(cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles, varying by their type (nanospheres or nanocapsules), by their preparation method (nanoprecipitation or emulsion/solvent evaporation), as well as by their surface characteristics. Physicochemical characterization before and after pressurization included turbidimetry, size measurement, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy and infrared analysis.

Optimization of a thermally reversible W/O/W multiple emulsion for shear-induced drug release.

Purpose: The present work aimed at improvement of the formulation of a previously developed thermo-reversible W/O/W multiple emulsion by increasing the emulsion stability and reaching a higher fraction of an encapsulated drug released under shear. The emulsion was based on high molecular weight graft-copolymers of poly(acrylic acid) and Pluronic F127 as stabilizing agents.

Methods: Once a stable W/O/W thermo-reversible multiple emulsion was obtained via a fine-tuning of the formulation, rheological, granulometric and conductometric tests were performed to assess the thermo-reversible behavior and the fragmentation-release characteristics of the new W/O/W multiple emulsion.

A new delivery system for antisense therapy: PLGA microspheres encapsulating oligonucleotide/polyethyleneimine solid complexes.

Microspheres for the controlled release of an antisense oligonucleotide against the Transforming growth factor beta(1) were designed. Free oligonucleotide or its solid complexes with polyethylenimine (PEI) at different nitrogen/phosphate (N/P) ratios, were encapsulated within poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres prepared by the multiple emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. The encapsulation of the oligonucleotide in form of solid complexes, the N/P ratio, as well as the PLGA type affected microspheres characteristics in term of loading, morphology, oligonucleotide distribution inside matrix and in vitro release profile.