Denny Mahlin

Toward In Silico Prediction of Glass-Forming Ability from Molecular Structure Alone : A Screening Tool in Early Drug Development

We present a novel computational tool which predicts the glass-forming ability of drug compounds solely from their molecular structure. Compounds which show solid-state limited aqueous solubility were selected, and their glass-forming ability was determined upon spray-drying, melt-quenching and mechanical activation. The solids produced were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction. Compounds becoming at least partially amorphous on processing were classified as glass-formers, whereas those remaining crystalline regardless of the process method were classified as non-glass-forming compounds. A predictive model of the glass-forming ability, designed to separate between these two classes, was developed through the use of partial least-squares projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and calculated molecular descriptors. In total, ten of the 16 compounds were determined experimentally to be good glass-formers and the PLS-DA model correctly sorted 15 of the compounds using four molecular descriptors only. An external test set was predicted with an accuracy of 75%, and, hence, the PLS-DA model developed was shown to be applicable for the identification of compounds that have the potential to be designed as amorphous formulations. The model suggests that larger molecules with a low number of benzene rings, low level of molecular symmetry, branched carbon skeletons and electronegative atoms have the ability to form a glass. To conclude, we have developed a predictive, transparent and interpretable computational model for the identification of drug molecules capable of being glass-formers. The model allows an assessment of amorphization as a formulation strategy in the early drug development process, and can be applied before compound synthesis.

Early drug development predictions of glass-forming ability and physical stability of drugs

The purpose of this study was to investigate if rapidly measured physical properties can predict glass-forming ability and glass stability of drug compounds. A series of 50 structurally diverse drug molecules were studied with respect to glass-forming ability and, for glass-formers (n=24), the physical stability upon 1 month of storage was determined. Spray-drying and melt-cooling were used to produce the amorphous material and the solid state was analysed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Powder X-ray Diffraction. Thermal properties and molecular weight (Mw) were used to develop predictive models of (i) glass-forming ability and (ii) physical stability. In total, the glass-forming ability was correctly predicted for 90% of the drugs from their Mw alone. As a rule of thumb, drugs with Mw greater than 300 g/mole are expected to be transformed to its amorphous state by using standard process technology. Glass transition temperature and Mw predicted the physical stability upon storage correctly for 78% of the glass-forming compounds. A strong sigmoidal relationship (R(2) of 0.96) was identified between crystallization temperature and stability. These findings have the potential to rationalize decisions schemes for utilizing and developing amorphous formulations, through early predictions of glass-forming ability from Mw and physical stability from simple DSC characterization.

Effect of Surface Energy on Powder Compactibility

PurposeThe influence of surface energy on the compactibility of lactose particles has been investigated.Materials and MethodsThree powders were prepared by spray drying lactose solutions without or with low proportions of the surfactant polysorbate 80. Various powder and tablet characterisation procedures were applied. The surface energy of the powders was characterized by Inverse Gas Chromatography and the compressibility of the powders was described by the relationship between tablet porosity and compression pressure. The compactibility of the powders was analyzed by studying the evolution of tablet tensile strength with increasing compaction pressure and porosity.ResultsAll powders were amorphous and similar in particle size, shape, and surface area. The compressibility of the powders and the microstructure of the formed tablets were equal. However, the compactibility and dispersive surface energy was dependent of the composition of the powders.ConclusionThe decrease in tablet strength correlated to the decrease in powder surface energy at constant tablet porosities. This supports the idea that tablet strength is controlled by formation of intermolecular forces over the areas of contact between the particles and that the strength of these bonding forces is controlled by surface energy which, in turn, can be altered by the presence of surfactants.

Computational predictions of glass-forming ability and crystallization tendency of drug molecules.

Amorphization is an attractive formulation technique for drugs suffering from poor aqueous solubility as a result of their high lattice energy. Computational models that can predict the material properties associated with amorphization, such as glass-forming ability (GFA) and crystallization behavior in the dry state, would be a time-saving, cost-effective, and material-sparing approach compared to traditional experimental procedures. This article presents predictive models of these properties developed using support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The GFA and crystallization tendency were investigated by melt-quenching 131 drug molecules in situ using differential scanning calorimetry. The SVM algorithm was used to develop computational models based on calculated molecular descriptors. The analyses confirmed the previously suggested cutoff molecular weight (MW) of 300 for glass-formers, and also clarified the extent to which MW can be used to predict the GFA of compounds with MW < 300. The topological equivalent of Grav3_3D, which is related to molecular size and shape, was a better descriptor than MW for GFA; it was able to accurately predict 86% of the data set regardless of MW. The potential for crystallization was predicted using molecular descriptors reflecting Hückel pi atomic charges and the number of hydrogen bond acceptors. The models developed could be used in the early drug development stage to indicate whether amorphization would be a suitable formulation strategy for improving the dissolution and/or apparent solubility of poorly soluble compounds.

Structural effects caused by spray‐ and freeze‐drying of liposomes and bilayer disks

Cryo-TEM and dynamic light scattering was used to investigate morphological changes induced by spray- and freeze-drying of liposomes and nanosized bilayer disks composed of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), cholesterol, and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-5000] (DSPE-PEG) from lactose solution. Particular focus was put on the identification of structural alterations that risk influencing the performance of liposomes and bilayer disks as carriers for protein and peptide drugs. Significant changes in the lipid aggregate structure and/or size was noted upon dehydration. Uni-lamellar liposomes tended to shrink in size and become bi-lamellar as a consequence of the drying process. The same transformation was observed upon deliberate establishment of a lactose gradient over the membranes of liposomes in solution. A mechanism based on an osmotically driven invagination of the liposomes is proposed to explain the change from uni- to bi-lamellar structures. PEGylation promoted formation of larger liposomes during spray-drying, and had a similar, but less pronounced, effect also during freeze-drying. The observed structural changes may have important consequences for the bioavailability of protein/peptide drugs bound to, or embedded in, the liposome membranes. The radius of bilayer disks increased upon both spray- and freeze-drying, but the drying procedure did not change the open single-bilayer structure of the disks.

Impact of matrix properties on the survival of freeze-dried bacteria

BACKGROUND Disaccharides are, in general, the first choice as formulation compounds when freeze-drying microorganisms. Although polysaccharides and other biopolymers are considered too large to stabilise and interact with cell components in the same beneficial way as disaccharides, polymers have been reported to support cell survival. In the present study we compare the efficiency of sucrose and the polymers Ficoll, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and polyvinylalcohol to support the survival of three bacterial strains during freeze drying. The initial osmotic conditions were adjusted to be similar for all formulations. Formulation characterisation was used to interpret the impact that different compound properties had on cell survival. RESULTS Despite differences in molecular size, both sucrose and the sucrose-based polymer Ficoll supported cell survival after freeze drying equally well. All formulations became amorphous upon dehydration. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction data showed that the discerned differences in structure of the dry formulations had little impact on the survival rates. The capability of the polymers to support cell survival correlated with the surface activity of the polymers in a similar way for all investigated bacterial strains. CONCLUSION Polymer-based formulations can support cell survival as effectively as disaccharides if formulation properties of importance for maintaining cell viability are identified and controlled.

Differential effects of polymers PVP90 and Ficoll400 on storage stability and viability of Lactobacillus coryniformis Si3 freeze-dried in sucrose.

Aims:  To investigate the effect of freeze‐dried Lactobacillus coryniformis Si3 on storage stability by adding polymers to sucrose‐based formulations and to examine the relationship between amorphous matrix stability and cell viability.

Experimental and Computational Prediction of Glass Transition Temperature of Drugs

Glass transition temperature (Tg) is an important inherent property of an amorphous solid material which is usually determined experimentally. In this study, the relation between Tg and melting temperature (Tm) was evaluated using a data set of 71 structurally diverse druglike compounds. Further, in silico models for prediction of Tg were developed based on calculated molecular descriptors and linear (multilinear regression, partial least-squares, principal component regression) and nonlinear (neural network, support vector regression) modeling techniques. The models based on Tm predicted Tg with an RMSE of 19.5 K for the test set. Among the five computational models developed herein the support vector regression gave the best result with RMSE of 18.7 K for the test set using only four chemical descriptors. Hence, two different models that predict Tg of drug-like molecules with high accuracy were developed. If Tm is available, a simple linear regression can be used to predict Tg. However, the results also suggest that support vector regression and calculated molecular descriptors can predict Tg with equal accuracy, already before compound synthesis.

Understanding polymer-lipid solid dispersions--the properties of incorporated lipids govern the crystallisation behaviour of PEG.

A deeper insight into the crystallisation process of semi-crystalline polymers during formation of solid dispersions is crucial to improve control of product qualities in drug formulation. In this study we used PEG 4000 with 12 different lipids as a model system to study the effect that incorporated components may have on the crystallisation of the polymer. The lipids were melted with PEG 4000 and the crystallisation of the polymer studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD). PEG 4000 can crystallise into lamellar structures with either folded or fully extended polymer chains. All lipids increased the fraction of the folded form and lowered the crystallisation temperatures. Some lipids were incorporated to a high extent into the amorphous domains of the PEG lamellae and thereby swelling the structure, which also resulted in a high degree of chain folding. Partial least squares (PLS) modelling indicated that small hydrophilic lipids increased the folding of PEG and that large non-polar lipids retarded the unfolding during secondary crystallisation. This work shows that there is a large difference in the behaviour of PEG depending on lipid added. Differences are explained in terms of molecular properties for the lipids, demonstrated by the use of PLS modelling to describe the behaviour of PEG solid dispersions.

Physical stability of drugs after storage above and below the glass transition temperature: Relationship to glass-forming ability.

Graphical abstract