Preparation and evaluation of unpleasant taste-masked pioglitazone orally disintegrating tablets.

This study aimed to evaluate the taste and mouth feel of newly designed orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) of pioglitazone, which is a typical type 2 diabetes medicine with an unpleasant taste, using a visual analog scale (VAS) analysis. The ODTs were subjected to either of these 2 taste-masking procedures: a physical masking procedure that included coating the inactive core granules with mixture of pioglitazone and Eudragit(®) E PO, followed by mixing the granules with aspartame and other excipients to form the tablet (physical masking ODT); or a gustatory masking procedure that involved blending pioglitazone with both sodium chloride and aspartame, followed by mixing the blend with other excipients to form the tablet (gustatory masking ODT). From the results of the VAS analysis, physical masking could suppress the bitterness but not the astringent; therefore, the overall palatability of the ODT was considered not improved.

The specificity of monoclonal antibody A2B5 to c-series gangliosides.

To examine the specificity of monoclonal antibody A2B5, four A2B5-reactive gangliosides (designated as G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4) were purified from bonito fish brain. Ganglioside-1, -2, and -3 migrated above GD1b, below GQ1b, and far below GQ1b on thin-layer chromatography. Ganglioside-4 had the slowest chromatographic mobility and migrated below G-3.

Tissue-specific expression of c-series gangliosides in the extraneural system.

c-Series gangliosides in extraneural tissues from young and adult rats were examined using thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) immunostaining with a specific monoclonal antibody A2B5. The composition of c-series gangliosides significantly differed among tissues. In adult rats, while liver tissue contained GT1c, GQ1c, and GP1c, renal tissue had GT3 as the major c-series ganglioside with GT2 in a lesser amount.

Involvement of neurohumoral factors in the pressor mechanism of NG-nitro-L-arginine.

The mechanism of the NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA)-induced pressor response was examined in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. The pressor effect of L-NNA (50 mg/kg, i.v.