Jadwiga Mielcarek

Current status of liposomal porphyrinoid photosensitizers.

The complete eradication of various targets, such as infectious agents or cancer cells, while leaving healthy host cells untouched, is still a great challenge faced in the field of medicine. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) seems to be a promising approach for anticancer treatment, as well as to combat various dermatologic and ophthalmic diseases and microbial infections. The application of liposomes as delivery systems for porphyrinoids has helped overcome many drawbacks of conventional photosensitizers and facilitated the development of novel effective photosensitizers that can be encapsulated in liposomes. The development, preclinical studies and future directions for liposomal delivery of conventional and novel photosensitizers are reviewed.

Phthalocyanine Derivatives Possessing 2-(Morpholin-4-yl)ethoxy Groups As Potential Agents for Photodynamic Therapy

Three 2-(morpholin-4-yl)ethoxy substituted phthalocyanines were synthesized and characterized. Phthalocyanine derivatives revealed moderate to high quantum yields of singlet oxygen production depending on the solvent applied (e.g., in DMF ranging from 0.25 to 0.53). Their photosensitizing potential for photodynamic therapy was investigated in an in vitro model using cancer cell lines. Biological test results were found particularly encouraging for the zinc(II) phthalocyanine derivative possessing two 2-(morpholin-4-yl)ethoxy substituents in nonperipheral positions. Cells irradiated for 20 min at 2 mW/cm(2) revealed the lowest IC50 value at 0.25 μM for prostate cell line (PC3), whereas 1.47 μM was observed for human malignant melanoma (A375) cells. The cytotoxic activity in nonirradiated cells of novel phthalocyanine was found to be very low. Moreover, the cellular uptake, localization, cell cycle, apoptosis through an ELISA assay, and immunochemistry method were investigated in LNCaP cells. Our results showed that the tested photosensitizer possesses very interesting biological activity, depending on experimental conditions.

Photochemical stability of the inclusion complexes formed by modified 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives with β-cyclodextrin

The results of studies of photochemical stability of the derivatives of 1,4-dihydropyridine (NR) are reported. The NR with various substituents (-NO2, -Cl, -F, CF3) at different positions in the phenyl ring were identified by UV spectrophotometry. Photodegradation of NR in the inclusion complexes with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) was studied in the liquid phase. The rate of photodegradation of NR derivatives was dependent on the position of -NO2 group in the phenyl ring; for the ortho isomer it is ten times higher than for the meta one. The rate of photodegradation of 2-NO2-NR (ortho isomer) in inclusion complex with beta-CD was 200 times slower than that for this compound in the crystal phase. In the case of halogeno- and cyanoderivatives, the presence of beta-CD caused a 4-fold increase in the photodegradation rate.

Phthalocyanines functionalized with 2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazolylethoxy and 1,4,7-trioxanonyl moieties and the effect of metronidazole substitution on photocytotoxicity

Four novel magnesium(II) and zinc(II) phthalocyanines bearing 1,4,7-trioxanonyl, polyether and/or (2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethoxy, heterocyclic substituents at their non-peripheral positions were synthesized and assessed in terms of physicochemical and biological properties. Magnesium phthalocyanine derivatives bearing polyether substituents (Pc-1), a mixed system of polyether and heterocyclic substituents (Pc-3), and four heterocyclic substituents (Pc-4), respectively, were synthesized following the Linstead macrocyclization reaction procedure. Zinc phthalocyanine (Pc-2) bearing polyether substituents at non-peripheral positions was synthesized following the procedure in n-pentanol with the zinc acetate, and DBU. Novel phthalocyanines were purified by flash column chromatography and characterized using NMR, MS, UV-Vis and HPLC. Moreover, two precursors in macrocyclization reaction phthalonitriles were characterized using X-ray. Photophysical properties of the novel macrocycles were evaluated, including UV-Vis spectra analysis and aggregation study. All macrocycles subjected to singlet oxygen generation and the oxidation rate constant measurements exhibited lower quantum yields of singlet oxygen generation in DMSO than in DMF. In addition, the Pc-2 molecule was found to be the most efficient singlet oxygen generator from the group of macrocycles studied. The photocytotoxicity evaluated on the human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line, HSC-3, for Pc-3 was significantly higher than that for Pc-1, Pc-2, and Pc-4. Interestingly, Pc-3 was found to be the most active macrocycle in vitro although its ability to generate singlet oxygen was significantly lower than those of Pc-1 and Pc-2. However, attempts to encapsulate phthalocyanines Pc-1-Pc-3 in liposomal membranes were unsuccessful. The phthalocyanine-nitroimidazole conjugate, Pc-4 was encapsulated in phosphatidylglycerol:phosphatidylcholine unilamellar liposomes and subjected to photocytotoxicity study.

Photodegradation of inclusion complexes of isradipine with methyl-β-cyclodextrin

Abstract The paper presents results of the studies on photochemical decomposition of isradipine (IS) and its liquid inclusion complexes with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (M-βCD). The process of photodegradation was assessed by the methods of UV spectrophotometry, HPLC (reverse-phase) and HPTLC (normal phase) chromatographic methods. The processes of photodegradation of IS was analysed in the conditions of version I of the document of International Chemical Harmonization (ICH)-HBO-200 lamp. Quantitative evaluation of the photochemical decomposition was performed on the basis of the calculated photodegradation rate constant (k), half-life period (t0.5) and time of degradation of 10% of the compound (t0.1). Formation of inclusion complexes of IS with M-βCD was proved to increase twice the photostability of the drug. The analytical methods used were subjected to a validation procedure in which the limits of detectability and determinability as well as specificity, precision and sensitivity of the method were determined.

Identification of photodegradation products of nilvadipine using GC-MS.

Nilvadipine (NV) photodegradation products have been analysed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The photodegradation was carried out in the conditions recommended in the first version of the document issued by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), currently in force in the studies of photochemical stability of drugs and therapeutic substances. Methanol solutions of NV were irradiated with a high-pressure UV lamp - type HBO 200. The maximum intensity at the wavelength lambda = 365 nm was achieved by applying the interference filter and Woods filter. Using the Reinecke salt as a chemical actinometer, apparent quantum yields of photodegradation were obtained, which after extrapolation to the zero time of irradiation gave the actual quantum yield ((phi = 7.58 x 10(-5). The structure of three nilvadipine photodegradation products was established, after mass spectra analysis of compounds registered during GC-MS carried out of irradiated nilvadipine solutions. The quantitative results of GC-MS analyses enabled to determination of the kinetic parameters of NV photodegradation, calculated from the dependence In c =f(t). Quantitatively the process was described with the calculated rate constant of decomposition (k), decomposition time of 50% of the compound (t0.5) and decomposition time of 10% of the compound (t0.1). The exposure of nilvadipine to UV light was found to lead to aromatization of the DHP ring and elimination of the HCN molecule.

Photostability of pitavastatin—A novel HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor

The photostability of pitavastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, was investigated. The sample solution was exposed to UV-A radiation and the photodegradation process was monitored by means of spectrophotometric method and HPLC-DAD. Pitavastatin was shown to be photolabile and its photodegradation reaction followed the first-order kinetics with the rate constant k=3.54 x 10(-4)+/-9.43 x 10(-6)s(-1). The chromatograms revealed the presence of four major photoproducts (PP-1-PP-4). The separated and isolated photolytic products were identified using a mass spectrometer coupled with a time of flight (TOF) analyzer. The main reaction observed during exposure to radiation of pitavastatin was photocyclisation leading to formation of four-ring photoproducts.

DFT study on hydroxy acid–lactone interconversion of statins: the case of fluvastatin

Fluvastatin is a member of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor family of drugs, commonly referred to as statins. It is generally known that, under physiological conditions, statins are susceptible to pH-dependent interconversion between their active (hydroxy acid) and inactive (lactone) forms. The mechanism of this interconversion, under both acidic and basic conditions, was investigated theoretically using the density functional theory (DFT) method. Regardless of the conditions, the lactone form was always higher in energy by 6-19 kcal mol(-1). However, under basic conditions, the activation barrier for the hydrolysis was significantly lower (9 kcal mol(-1)) than for the reverse reaction (28 kcal mol(-1)), making the lactone form unstable. The activation barriers under acidic conditions were of comparable height in both directions (22 and 28 kcal mol(-1)), making the occurrence of both forms equally probable. Due to the high activation barrier (>40 kcal mol(-1)), a one-step, direct interconversion between the two forms turned out to be unfavourable. Moreover, the potential energy surface of fluvastatin was briefly inspected, revealing relatively small energetic differences (<5 kcal mol(-1)) between the key conformers.

Photosensitizers Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation Against Virus Particles

Viruses cause many diseases in humans from the rather innocent common cold to more serious or chronic, life-threatening infections. The long-term side effects, sometimes low effectiveness of standard pharmacotherapy and the emergence of drug resistance require a search for new alternative or complementary antiviral therapeutic approaches. One new approach to inactivate microorganisms is photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT). PACT has evolved as a potential method to inactivate viruses. The great challenge for PACT is to develop a methodology enabling the effective inactivation of viruses while leaving the host cells as untouched as possible. This review aims to provide some main directions of antiviral PACT, taking into account different photosensitizers, which have been widely investigated as potential antiviral agents. In addition, several aspects concerning PACT as a tool to assure viral inactivation in human blood products will be addressed.

Mesoporous drug carrier systems for enhanced delivery rate of poorly water-soluble drug: nimodipine

Two mesoporous silica materials: MCM-41 and SBA-15 were applied as potential nanocarriers for poorly soluble drug—nimodipine. Drug incorporation was performed using modified adsorption from the solution method and loaded samples before and after washing procedure were studied. The physical properties were verified by: differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopies (SEM/TEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). FT-IR results for bulk nimodipine were interpreted on the basis of first principles calculations (DFT). As a result of encapsulation process, in both matrices nimodipine appeared simultaneously in two forms: crystalline and amorphous, but the first one turned out to be easily removable during washing procedure. The in vitro dissolution and release tests were performed with ultra pure water under supersaturating conditions. The release rate of the amorphous nimodipine from mesoporous silica materials was at least 70 times higher than dissolution rate of bulk drug, thus revealed a potential usefulness of such carrier in future pharmaceutical applications in terms of delivery of poorly soluble drugs.