Preformulation Characterization of Griffithsin, a Biopharmaceutical Candidate for HIV Prevention.

Griffithsin (GRFT) has shown potent anti-HIV activity, and it is being developed as a drug candidate for HIV prevention. Successful implementation requires thorough understanding of its preformulation characterization. In this work, preformulation assessments were conducted to characterize GRFT and identify its degradation pathways under selected conditions of temperature, light, pH, shear, ionic strength, and oxidation.

Preformulation and Vaginal Film Formulation Development of Microbicide Drug Candidate CSIC for HIV prevention.

Purpose: 5-chloro-3-[phenylsulfonyl] indole-2-carboxamide (CSIC) is a highly potent non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) of HIV-1 which has been shown to have a more desirable resistance profile than other NNRTIs in development as HIV prevention strategies. This work involves generation of preformulation data for CSIC and systematic development of a cosolvent system to effectively solubilize this hydrophobic drug candidate. This system was then applied to produce a polymeric thin film solid dosage form for vaginal administration of CSIC for use in prevention of sexual acquisition of HIV.

Preformulation studies of EFdA, a novel nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for HIV prevention.

4'-Ethynyl-2-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine (EFdA) is a novel nucleoside analog of great interest because of its superior activity against wild-type and multidrug-resistant HIV-1 strains, and favorable safety profiles in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this work was to provide preformulation information of EFdA important for delivery system development. A simple, accurate and specific reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for quantification of EFdA.

Degradation of naturally occurring and engineered antimicrobial peptides by proteases.

We hypothesized that current antimicrobial peptides should be susceptible to proteolytic digestion. The antimicrobial peptides: Griffithinsin, RC-101, LL-37, LSA-5, PSC-RANTES and DJ007 were degraded by commercially available proteases. Two different species of anaerobic vaginal flora, Prevotella bivia and Porphyromonas asaccharolytica also degraded the materials.

Metabolism of niclosamide in sediment and water systems.

A series of experiments analyzed the kinetics and mechanisms of [(14)C]niclosamide degradation. The aerobic aquatic metabolism of [(14)C]niclosamide was studied in nonsterile river water/sediment mixtures. Test systems, maintained under aerobic conditions, were treated with niclosamide and incubated in the dark at 25.

Aqueous photolysis of niclosamide.

The photodegradation of [(14)C]niclosamide was studied in sterile, pH 5, 7, and 9 buffered aqueous solutions under artificial sunlight at 25.0 +/- 1.0 degrees C.