Canan Hascicek

Mucoadhesive microspheres containing gentamicin sulfate for nasal administration: preparation and in vitro characterization.

In this study, suitable microsphere formulations were designed in order to provide the absorption of a high polar drug through nasal mucosa. For this purpose, gentamicin sulfate (GS) was chosen as a model drug and used at different drug/polymer ratios in the microsphere formulations. The microspheres were prepared by spray drying technique. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was used as a mucoadhesive polymer in the formulations to increase the residence time of the microspheres on the mucosa. Sodium cholate was added into the formulations for increasing the absorption of GS through nasal mucosa. The in vitro characteristics of the microspheres were determined. The microspheres were evaluated with respect to the particle size, production yield, encapsulation efficiency, shape and surface properties, drug-polymer interaction, mucoadhesive property, in vitro drug release and suitability for nasal drug delivery.

Development and in-vitro evaluation of modified release tablets including ethylcellulose microspheres loaded with diltiazem hydrochloride

In this study, development of modified release tablet formulations containing diltiazem hydrochloride-loaded microspheres to be taken once rather than two or three times a day was attempted. For this purpose, ethylcellulose microspheres were prepared by emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. The influence of emulsifier type and drug/polymer ratio on production yield, encapsulation efficiency, particle size, surface morphology and in-vitro release characteristics of the microspheres was evaluated. Suitable microspheres were selected and tabletted using different tabletting agents, Ludipress®, Cellactose®80, Flow-Lac®100 and excipients Compritol®888 ATO, Kollidon®SR. Tablets were evaluated from the perspective of physical and in-vitro drug release characteristics. It was seen that type and ratio of the excipients played an important role in the tabletting of the microspheres. As a result, two tablet formulations containing 180 mg diltiazem hydrochloride and using either Compritol®888 ATO or Kollidon®SR were designed successfully and maintained drug release for 24 h with zero order and Higuchi kinetics, respectively.

Formulation and Optimization of Nonionic Surfactants Emulsified Nimesulide-Loaded PLGA-Based Nanoparticles by Design of Experiments

This investigation aimed to develop nimesulide (NMS)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based nanoparticulate formulations as a biodegradable polymeric drug carrier to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared with two different nonionic surfactants, vitamin E d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (vitamin E TPGS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), using an ultrasonication solvent evaporation technique. Nine batches were formulated for each surfactant using a 32 factorial design for optimal concentration of the emulsifying agents, 0.03–0.09% for vitamin E TPGS and 2–4% for PVA. The surfactant percentage and the drug/polymer ratio (1:10, 1:15, 1:20) of the NMS-loaded NPs were investigated based on four responses: encapsulation efficiency, particle size, the polydispersity index, and the surface charge. The response surface plots and linearity curves indicated a relationship between the experiment’s responses and a set of independent variables. The NPs produced with both surfactants exhibited a negative surface charge, and scanning electron micrographs revealed that all of the NPs were spherical in shape. A narrower size distribution and higher drug loadings were achieved in PVA-emulsified PLGA NPs than in the vitamin E TPGS emulsified. Decreasing amounts of both nonionic surfactants resulted in a reduction in the emulsion’s viscosity, which led to a decrease in the particle size of NPs. According to the ANOVA results obtained in this present research, vitamin E TPGS exhibited the best correlation between the independent variables, namely drug/polymer ratio and the surfactant percentage, and the dependent variables (encapsulation efficiency R2 = 0.9603, particle size R2 = 0.9965, size distribution R2 = 0.9899, and surface charge R2 = 0.8969) compared with PVA.

Preparation and in vitro evaluation of meloxicam-loaded PLGA nanoparticles on HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells

Context: The inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 play an important role in cancer chemoprevention. Certain COX-2 inhibitors exert antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on cancer cells. Objective: In this study, meloxicam, which is an enolic acid-type preferential COX-2 inhibitor, was encapsulated in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) to maintain local high concentration, and its efficacy was determined. Methods: NPs were prepared by using salting-out and emulsion-evaporation steps. Meloxicam-loaded NP formulations were evaluated with respect to the drug loading, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, drug release rate, and residual poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) percentage. The effects of PLGA and PVA molecular weight variations on the physicochemical properties of NPs were investigated. Stability of meloxicam in NPs was assessed over 3 months. COX-2 expressing human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 was used in cellular uptake and viability assays. Results: NPs had a spherical shape and a negative zeta potential, and their size ranged between 170–231 nm with a lower polydispersity index. NPs prepared with high molecular weight PLGA were shown to be physically stable over three months at 4°C. The increase in molecular weight of the polymer and emulsifier reduced the in vitro release rate of meloxicam from NPs. Meloxicam-loaded NPs showed cytotoxic effects on HT-29 cells markedly at 800 µM. Cancer cells had high uptake of coumarin-6-loaded NPs. Conclusion: The PLGA NPs developed in this study can be a potentially effective drug delivery system of meloxicam for the treatment of colon cancer.

Design of vitamin E d-α-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate-Emulsified Poly (D,L-Lactide-co-Glycolide) Nanoparticles: Influence of Duration of Ultrasonication Energy.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of the duration of ultrasonication energy on the physicochemical characteristics of the nano-sized particulate drug delivery systems. For this purpose, meloxicam-loaded vitamin E d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS)-emulsified poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles were designed by using ultrasonication-solvent evaporation technique and were characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy for size and size distribution, scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology and laser Doppler anemometry for surface charge. Ultraviolet -spectrophotometer was used to measure the drug encapsulation efficiency and to obtain in vitro drug release profile. The results showed that the physicochemical properties of the prepared nanoparticles are effectively controlled by the amount of shear stress transferred from the energy source to the emulsion, which is strongly correlated to the ultrasonication time.

Microsphere-based once-daily modified release matrix tablets for oral administration in angina pectoris

The objective of this research was to develop microsphere-based once-daily modified release tablet formulations of diltiazem hydrochloride (DH), a potent calcium channel blocker used in angina pectoris. For this purpose, DH-loaded microspheres were prepared by the solvent evaporation technique using Eudragit®RS 100. The effect of variation in the drug/polymer ratio on the physical and release characteristics of the microspheres was investigated. After the selection of the suitable microspheres, tablets were compressed using Compritol®888 ATO, Ludipress® and Cellactose®80 as different direct tableting agents and excipients. As a result, modified release tablet formulations of DH-loaded microspheres were designed successfully for oral administration once rather than two or three times a day in angina pectoris.

Surface modification and evaluation of PLGA nanoparticles: the effects on cellular uptake and cell proliferation on the HT-29 cell line

The main objectives of the present research were to determine the effects of different coating agents and techniques on different characteristics, and cellular uptake of a new antiproliferative drug meloxicam loaded PLGA nanoparticles, and to evaluate their safety and potential use as drug carriers for colon cancer treatment. For this purpose, nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 178.30 nm were successfully prepared. Two different surface coating techniques the in situ coating technique and the surface adsorption method were used as coating processes with PEG 2000 and DMAB. A rate of 2.5 % DMAB-coated PLGA nanoparticles had an average size of 177.50 nm with a zeta potential of approximately + 4.72 mV, while PEG-modified nanoparticles using the in situ coating technique had a smaller particle size and negative zeta potential. The cell viability assays demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles was significantly affected by the coating process and both of the modified formulations were found more potent than pure meloxicam.

Optimization of a validated stability‐indicating RP‐LC method for the determination of fulvestrant from polymeric based nanoparticle systems, drugs and biological samples

Fulvestrant is used for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following anti-estrogen therapy. Several reversed-phase columns with variable silica materials, diameters, lengths, etc., were tested for the optimization study. A good chromatographic separation was achieved using a Waters X-Terra RP(18) column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d. × 5 µm) and a mobile phase, consisting of a mixture of acetonitrile-water (65:35; v/v) containing phosphoric acid (0.1%). The separation was carried out 40 °C with detection at 215 nm.The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range between 1.0-300 and 1.0-200 µg/mL for standard solutions and biological media, respectively. The proposed method is accurate and reproducible. Forced degradation studies were also realized. This fully validated method allows the direct determination of fulvestrant in dosage form and biological samples. The average recovery of the added fulvestrant amount in the samples was between 98.22 and 104.03%. The proposed method was also applied for the determination of fulvestrant from the polymeric-based nanoparticle systems. No interference from using polymers and other excipients was observed in in vitro drug release studies. Therefore an incorporation efficiency of fulvestrant-loaded nanoparticle could be determined accurately and specifically.

Ethylcellulose-Based Matrix-Type Microspheres: Influence of Plasticizer RATIO as Pore-Forming Agent

In this study, ethylcellulose (EC)-based microsphere formulations were prepared without and with triethyl citrate (TEC) content of 10% and 30% by water-in-oil emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. Diltiazem hydrochloride (DH) was chosen as a hydrophilic model drug and used at different drug/polymer ratios in the microspheres. The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of plasticizer ratio on the drug release rate and physicochemical characteristics of EC-based matrix-type microspheres. The resulting microspheres were evaluated for encapsulation efficiency, particle size and size distribution, surface morphology, total pore volume, thermal characteristics, drug release rates, and release mechanism. Results indicated that the physicochemical properties of microspheres were strongly affected by the drug/polymer ratio investigated and the concentration of TEC used in the production technique. The surface morphology and pore volume of microspheres significantly varied based on the plasticizer content in the formulation. DH release rate from EC-based matrix-type microspheres can be controlled by varying the DH to polymer and plasticizer ratios. Glass transition temperature values tended to decrease in conjunction with increasing amounts of TEC. Consequently, the various characteristics of the EC microspheres could be modified based on the plasticized ratio of TEC.