Ana Figueiras

The systems containing clays and clay minerals from modified drug release: A review

Clays are materials commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry, either as ingredients or as active ingredients. It was observed that when they are administered concurrently, they may interact with drugs reducing their absorption. Therefore, such interactions can be used to achieve technological and biopharmaceutical advantages, regarding the control of release. This review summarizes bibliographic (articles) and technological (patents) information on the use of systems containing clays and clay minerals in modified drug delivery. In this area, formulations such natural clay, commercial clay, synthetic clay, composites clay-polymers, nanocomposites clay-polymers, films and hidrogels composites clay-polymers are used to slow/extend or vectorize the release of drugs and consequently they increase their bioavailability. Finally, this review summarizes the fields of technology and biopharmaceutical applications, where clays are applied.

Interaction of Omeprazole with a Methylated Derivative of β-Cyclodextrin: Phase Solubility, NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Simulation

PurposeCyclodextrins are known to be good solubility enhancers for several drugs, improving bioavailability when incorporated in pharmaceutical formulations. In this work we intend to assess and characterize the formation of inclusion complexes between omeprazole (OME) and a methylated derivative of β-cyclodextrin, methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD). A comparison with results obtained from the most commonly used natural cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin (βCD) is also presented in most cases.Materials and MethodsThe interaction of OME with the mentioned cyclodextrins in aqueous solutions was studied by phase solubility studies, 1D 1H and 2D rotating frame nuclear overhauser effect NMR spectroscopy (ROESY) and Molecular Dynamics.ResultsThe solubility of OME was significantly increased by formation of inclusion complexes with each cyclodextrin. Phase solubility studies and continuous variation plots revealed that OME forms an inclusion complex in a stoichiometry of 1:1 with both cyclodextrins. 1H NMR and ROESY spectra of the inclusion complexes indicated that the benzimidazole moiety is included within the cyclodextrins cavities. Molecular dynamics showed that OME is more deeply included in the MβCD than in βCD cavity, in agreement with a larger apparent stability constant (KS) obtained for the inclusion complex with MβCD.ConclusionsMβCD proved to be an efficient enhancer of OME solubility, thus possessing characteristics for being an useful excipient in pharmaceutical formulations of this drug.

Strategies to improve the solubility and stability of stilbene antioxidants: A comparative study between cyclodextrins and bile acids

Aiming at the development of an active food packaging, the goal of this study was to increase stilbenes (resveratrol (RV), pterostilbene (PT) and pinosylvin (PS)) aqueous solubility and stability using hydropropyl-cyclodextrins (HP-CDs) and bile salts. To evaluate stilbene concentration, an HPLC-DAD method was validated. Stilbene solubility was improved by the formation of inclusion complexes and micellar systems with higher solubility values obtained for the inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins. Inclusion complexes revealed a 1:1 stoichiometry for RV and PT and a 1:2 for PS. Solid state characterisation was carried out using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. (1)H NMR studies were also performed to characterise the prepared complexes. Photostability studies revealed that CDs were able to increase stilbene photostability at 4 °C. This work showed that stable stilbene solutions can be achieved using hydroxypropyl-CDs, contributing for their incorporation in several materials for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

In vitro evaluation of natural and methylated cyclodextrins as buccal permeation enhancing system for omeprazole delivery

In this work the enhancing effect of cyclodextrins on the buccal permeation of a hydrophobic model drug, omeprazole was studied. First, the influence of the complexation with cyclodextrins in the absence and in the presence of an alkali agent, L-arginine, on the drug stability was checked at neutral conditions since omeprazole alone is only stable in basic conditions. In vitro transbuccal permeation of omeprazole non-complexed and complexed with beta- and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and in presence of L-arginine was examined using freshly obtained porcine buccal mucosa. Tissue viability after incubation with sample solutions was assessed using a MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) biochemical assay and histological evaluation. The toxicity of the sample solutions on buccal mucosa was evaluated by measuring lactate dehydrogenase activity. The present results show that complexation with cyclodextrins increases drug stability at neutral conditions; furthermore, L-arginine contributed to higher drug stability. Permeation studies indicate an increase on drug permeation in complexed form of 1.1- and 1.7-fold for beta-cyclodextrin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, respectively. The presence of L-arginine increases drug permeation 1.4-fold in omeprazole complexed with beta-cyclodextrin and 2.4-fold in the inclusion complex formed with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. The cell viability of the buccal mucosa after a 3 h incubation period, with all sample solutions, remained around 70% and lactate dehydrogenase assay showed that studied cyclodextrins, even in the presence of an alkali agent are not cytotoxic for porcine buccal mucosa. Histological evaluation of the tissue demonstrated that the buccal epithelium remains viable after 3 h of incubation with sample solutions.

Polymeric micelles for oral drug administration enabling locoregional and systemic treatments

Introduction: Amphiphilic block copolymers are recognized components of parenteral drug nanocarriers. However, their performance in oral administration has barely been evaluated to any great extent. Areas covered: This review provides an overview of the methods used to prepare drug-loaded polymeric micelles and to evaluate their stability in gastrointestinal (GI) fluids, and then analyzes in detail recent in vitro and in vivo results about their performance in oral drug delivery. Oral administration of polymeric micelles has been tested for a variety of therapeutic purposes, namely, to increase apparent drug solubility in the GI fluids and facilitate absorption, to penetrate in pathological regions of the GI tract for locoregional treatment, to carry the drug directly toward the blood stream minimizing presystemic loses, and to target the drug after oral absorption to specific tissue or cells in the body. Expert opinion: Each therapeutic purpose demands micelles with different performance regarding stability in the GI tract, ability to overcome physiological barriers and drug release patterns. Depending on the block copolymer composition and structure, a wealth of self-assembled micelles with different morphologies and stability can be prepared. Moreover, copolymer unimers can play a role in improving drug absorption through the GI mucosa, either by increasing membrane permeability to the drug and/or the carrier or by inhibiting drug efflux transporters or first-pass metabolism. Therefore, polymeric micelles can be pointed out as versatile vehicles to increase oral bioavailability of drugs that exhibit poor solubility or permeability and may even be an alternative to parenteral carriers when targeting is pursued.

Recombinant pre-miR-29b for Alzheimer´s disease therapeutics

MicroRNAs are arising as the next generation of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for gene silencing. Studies demonstrated that the miR-29 expression is decreased in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients displaying high levels of human β-secretase (hBACE1). Recent advances toward an effective therapy for AD intend to employ miR-29 to suppress hBACE1 expression and subsequent Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. However, delivery of mature miRNA has demonstrated modest efficacy in vitro; therefore, the preparation of highly pure and biologically active pre-miRNA arises as one of the most important challenges in the development of these therapeutic strategies. Recently, we described a new strategy based arginine-affinity chromatography to specifically purify the recombinant pre-miR-29b. Following this strategy, the purified pre-miR-29b was successfully encapsulated into polyplexes that were further delivered in cytoplasm. It was verified that Chitosan/pre-miR-29b and Polyethylenimine/pre-miR-29b systems efficiently delivered pre-miR-29b to N2a695 cells, thus reducing the hBACE1 protein expression (around 78% and 86%, respectively) and Aβ42 levels (approximately 44% and 47%, respectively). Furthermore, pre-miR-29b downregulates the hBACE1 mRNA expression in 80%. Overall, it was demonstrated that the recombinant pre-miR-29b using polyplexes allowed to decrease the hBACE1 and Aβ42 expression levels, improving the currently available methodologies of miRNA-based therapeutics.

Supramolecular gels of poly-α-cyclodextrin and PEO-based copolymers for controlled drug release.

The aim of this work was to prepare syringeable supramolecular gels of α-cyclodextrin-polymer (poly-αCD) with various poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based copolymers, which can be suitable to form depots for controlled drug release. A series of water-soluble poly-αCDs was synthesized from αCD by crosslinking with epichlorohydrin in alkaline medium. The chemical composition of the polymers was characterized by NMR (αCD content>53%) and the molecular weight was evaluated using static light scattering (SLS). Supramolecular assemblies occurred by mixing poly-αCD (20-40% w/v) with a PEO-based polymer (i.e., PEG, Pluronic® F127 or Tetronic® 908) (10-15% w/v). Phase separation was observed and the αCD content in each phase was determined by means of the phenol-sulfuric acid colorimetric method. Formation of poly-αCD/PEO-based polymer 3D-supramolecular complexes was confirmed by diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) and X-ray diffractometry. The supramolecular assemblies showed good cytocompatibility against SAOS-2 cells and in the HET-CAM test. The supramolecular gels were able to sustain the release of vancomycin for at least 5 days at 37 °C, more efficiently than dispersions of each polymer component in separate. These results open new possibilities in the design of novel controlled delivery systems for the treatment of bone infections.

Purification of pre-miR-29 by arginine-affinity chromatography

Recently, differential expression of microRNAs, in patients with Alzheimers disease (AD) suggests that they might have key regulatory roles in this neurodegenerative disease. Taking into account this fact, several studies demonstrated that the miR-29 is significantly decreased in AD patients, also displaying abnormally high levels of β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1. Thus, RNA biochemical or structural studies often require a RNA sample that is chemically pure and biologically active. The present work describes a new affinity chromatography method using an arginine support to specifically purify pre-miR-29 from other Rhodovulum sulfidophilum small RNA species. Nevertheless, in order to achieve higher efficiency and selectivity, it is essential to characterize the behavior of pre-miR-29 binding/elution. Thus, three different strategies based on increased sodium chloride (280-500mM), arginine (25mM) or decreased ammonium sulfate (2-0.1M) stepwise gradients are described to purify pre-miR-29. In this way, it was proved that well-defined binding/elution conditions are crucial to enhance the purification performance. As a matter of fact, by employing elution strategies using sodium chloride or arginine, an improvement in the final pre-miR-29 yields (96.5 and 56.7%, respectively) was obtained. Moreover, the quality control analysis revealed high integrity in pre-miR-29 preparations as well as high purity (90 and 98%, respectively), demonstrated by the scarce detection of proteins. This improved method takes advantage of its simplicity, significant cost reduction, due to the elimination of some complex operations, and speed for large-scale purification of pre-miRNAs suitable for biochemical and structural studies.

The Role of l-arginine in Inclusion Complexes of Omeprazole with Cyclodextrins

In this study, we investigate how the effect of l-arginine (ARG) and cyclodextrins upon omeprazole (OME) stability and solubility. The effect of the presence of ARG on the apparent stability constants (K1:1) of the inclusion complexes formed between OME and each cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin (βCD), and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) is studied by phase solubility diagrams and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The interaction of OME with those cyclodextrins, in the presence of ARG, is characterized using NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. ARG significantly increases the drug solubility and complex stability, in comparison to inclusion complexes formed in its absence. The effect is more pronounced for the OME:βCD complex. ARG also contributes to a larger stability of OME when free in aqueous solution. The combination of ARG with cyclodextrins can represent an important tool to develop stable drug formulations.

Characterization of polyplexes involving small RNA

The purpose of the present study is to provide a tool for an efficient design and synthesis of non-viral vectors for small RNA delivery. The effects of properties of the polycation, such as molecular weight, charge density and backbone structure, to polyplex structure and physicochemical behavior were systematically evaluated. The condensing agents, polyethylenimine (PEI), chitosan (CS) and poly(allylamine) (PAA) were added to sRNA molecules at different N/P ratio. The efficiency of encapsulation and protection of sRNA, as well as polyplex size, zeta potential and morphology were followed and compared. The results show that PEI/sRNA polyplexes display a small size and positive zeta potential. However, for low molecular weights, this polycation is unable to protect sRNA in the presence of a decompacting agent. With chitosan, sRNA is efficiently compacted at high N/P ratios. The CS/sRNA complexes display small sizes, ca. 200 nm, positive surface charge and also good stability. Finally, the PAA/sRNA polyplexes were found to be the smallest at low N/P ratios, displaying a good encapsulation efficiency and high stability. A rationale for the experimental observations is provided using Monte Carlo simulation for systems with polycations of different length and charge density. The simulations showed that there is an interplay between the size of polycation chains and its charge density that define the degree of condensation for sRNA.