Peixiao Tang

Inclusion complexes of chlorzoxazone with β- and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin: Characterization, dissolution, and cytotoxicity

This study aimed to improve the water solubility and reduce the toxicity of chlorzoxazone via complexation with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD). Inclusion complexes between chlorzoxazone and the two cyclodextrins (CDs) were prepared by freeze-drying method. Formation of the complexes was confirmed by FT-IR, PXRD, (1)H NMR, DSC, and SEM. The water solubility and dissolution rates of chlorzoxazone were significantly increased by complexation with the two CDs. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity tests showed that the complexes are less toxic to normal liver cells than free chlorzoxazone. In general, the HP-β-CD complex exhibited better dissolution properties than the β-CD complex in various dissolution media. Therefore, the HP-β-CD complex can be used to design novel formulations of chlorzoxazone.

Two solid forms of tauroursodeoxycholic acid and the effects of milling and storage temperature on solid-state transformations

Two phase-pure solid forms of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) were prepared and characterized by thermal analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and morphological analysis. All solid forms can be produced from solvents and also can be obtained by mechanically and non-mechanically activated polymorph conversion. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, in combination with chemometrical techniques, was used for the quantitative monitoring of the polymorph conversion of TUDCA in milling process and at different storage temperatures. The NIR spectra in the range of 7139-5488 cm(-1) were considered for multivariate analysis. Results demonstrated that the NIR multivariate chemometric model can predict the percentage of crystal and amorphous TUDCA with the correlation coefficient of 0.9998, root mean square error of calibration of 0.740%, root mean square error of prediction of 0.698%, and root mean square error of cross-validation of 1.49%. In the milling process of crystal TUDCA (Form I), a direct transformation from crystal to glass was observed in 4h. Moreover, the impact of different storage temperatures on the stability of amorphous TUDCA was investigated, and the rate of polymorph transformation was found to be accelerated with increasing temperature.

Binding properties and structure–affinity relationships of food antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole and its metabolites with lysozyme

Considering the harmful impact of food antioxidants on human bodies, thoroughly exposing their potential effects at the molecular level is important. In this study, the binding interactions of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a phenolic antioxidant, and its different major metabolites tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and tert-butylbenzoquinone (TBQ) with lysozyme were examined via fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and ligand-protein docking studies. The three compounds caused strong quenching of lysozyme fluorescence by a static quenching mechanism but with different quenching efficiencies and different effects on the α-helix content of the lysozyme. The order of binding affinity of lysozyme for all test compounds is as follows: BHA>TBQ>TBHQ. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces perform dominant functions in the binding between these compounds and lysozyme. Furthermore, structure-affinity relationships between the model compounds and lysozyme were established on the basis of computational analyses.

Posaconazole/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin host–guest system: Improving dissolution while maintaining antifungal activity

This study aimed to prepare and characterize the inclusion complex between posaconazole (POS) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD). Phase solubility study was conducted to investigate the drug/CD interaction in solution, including the stoichiometry and apparent stability constant. The solid complex (HP-β-CD-POS) obtained was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, (1)H and ROESY 2D nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. These approaches confirmed the formation of the inclusion complex. The HP-β-CD-POS inclusion complex exhibited better water solubility and higher dissolution rate than the free POS did; the water solubility of POS was increased by 82 times and almost 90% of the loaded drug dissolved after 10 min in the dissolution media. In addition, preliminary in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing revealed that HP-β-CD-POS maintains a high level of antifungal activities. Therefore, the HP-β-CD complex may be useful in the delivery of posaconazole.

Characterization and evaluation of synthetic riluzole with β-cyclodextrin and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD) inclusion complexes with riluzole (RLZ) were prepared to improve water solubility and broaden potential pharmaceutical applications. CDs/RLZ inclusion complexes were confirmed via phase solubility studies, FT-IR spectroscopy, PXRD, DSC, (1)H NMR, and SEM. Phase solubility studies indicated that β-CD and DM-β-CD can form 1:1 inclusion complexes with RLZ, and the stability constants were 663.17 and 1609.07M(-1), respectively. Water solubility and dissolution rate of RLZ were significantly improved in complex forms, implying that the inclusion complexes may develop pharmaceutical applications. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity assay also showed that RLZ hepatotoxicity was not increased in the inclusion complexes.

Studies of DNA-binding properties of lafutidine as adjuvant anticancer agent to calf thymus DNA using multi-spectroscopic approaches, NMR relaxation data, molecular docking and dynamical simulation

The interactions between lafutidine (LAF) and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. UV-vis absorption studies confirmed that LAF binds to ctDNA through non-covalent interactions. Fluorescence quenching and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy studies showed that the binding of LAF with ctDNA occurred through static quenching mechanism, resulting in the formation of a LAF-ctDNA complex. The binding constants (K) of the complex were found to be around 103M-1 via NMR relaxation rates and fluorescence data, and the calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated that hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces played major roles in the binding of LAF to ctDNA. The changes in CD spectra indicated that LAF induced a slight perturbation on the base stacking and helicity of B-DNA. A comparative study of the LAF-ctDNA complex with respect to potassium iodide quenching experiments and competition displacement assays with ethidium bromide, acridine orange, and Hoechst 33258 probes suggested that LAF interacted with ctDNA by minor groove mode. Molecular docking analysis further supported the minor groove binding. Molecular dynamics simulation indicated that LAF depart from the C-G region of DNA, but it can steadily bind with the middle part of DNA composed by A-T base pairs.

The influence of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on the solubility, dissolution, cytotoxicity, and binding of riluzole with human serum albumin.

Cyclodextrin-related host-guest encapsulation is fundamental to modulate the solubility of riluzole (RLZ), promoting its potential pharmaceutical applications. The supramolecular interaction of RLZ and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) was examined through FT-IR spectroscopy, DSC-TGA, PXRD, (1)HNMR, 2D ROESY, ssNMR, and SEM. The HP-β-CD/RLZ inclusion complex was formed at a molar ratio of 1:1. The stability constant (K=2327 M(-1)) and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters were ascertained through phase solubility studies. The water solubility and dissolution rate of RLZ notably increased in the presence of HP-β-CD, whereas the inclusion complex did not increase the RLZ toxicity toward the LO2 cell line. The influence of HP-β-CD on RLZ-human serum albumin (HSA) binding was investigated via fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence quenching of HSA by RLZ in the presence and absence of HP-β-CD were both static quenching. Data analysis showed that the addition of HP-β-CD weakened the quenching and binding of RLZ with HSA but did not affect the binding site and binding force between RLZ and HSA. Furthermore, molecular models were generated to determine the binding site between HSA and RLZ, and these models were consistent with the experimental data.

Dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin/salazosulfapyridine inclusion complex-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for sustained release

This study aimed to investigate a novel delivery system for salazosulfapyridine (SASP) through encapsulation in 2,6-dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (DMβCD) and further incorporation in chitosan (CS) to form nanoparticles (NPs). The inclusion complex of SASP and DMβCD was prepared at 1:1 host-guest stoichiometry based on Jobs plot and then characterized through various analytical techniques. Then, the DMβCD/SASP inclusion complex was incorporated in CS to form DMβCD/SASP/CS NPs. The loading efficiency of SASP in the DMβCD/SASP/CS NPs was significantly higher than that of the SASP/CS NPs. A positive zeta potential of +35.4mV was also observed in the DMβCD/SASP/CS NPs with an average size of 90nm. SASP exhibited a sustained release after the DMβCD/SASP/CS NPs were formed. The toxicity of the NPs to LO2 cells was lower than that of free SASP. Therefore, the CD inclusion complex-loaded CS NPs can be applied to deliver hydrophobic drugs.

Molecular mechanism of the binding of 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid to human serum albumin: Saturation transfer difference NMR, multi-spectroscopy, and docking studies

As a natural dietary polyphenol, 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,4,5-triCQA) exhibits numerous stronger pharmacological activities than that of its analogues. Studies on interaction between 3,4,5-triCQA and protein are very helpful for understanding the mechanism of these enhanced biological functions. In this study, 1H saturation transfer difference NMR (1H STD-NMR) combined with multi-spectroscopy were used to probe the interaction of 3,4,5-triCQA with human serum albumin (HSA). Both qualitative and quantitative 1H STD-NMR indicated that 3,4,5-triCQA can specifically bind to HSA at the favored Sudlows site II with caffeoyl groups as the main recognizable moiety. Fluorescence emission spectra showed that Stern-Volmer quenching constant (KSV) decreases from 10.132×104M-1 to 9.711×104M-1 with temperature raise, indicating that 3,4,5-triCQA quenches HSA fluorescence through a static mechanism. Binding constant (Kb=5.557×105M-1) and the number of binding sites (n≈1) at 298K suggested that 3,4,5-triCQA only occupies one site in HSA with high affinity. Enthalpy (ΔH=-28.802kJ/mol) and entropy (ΔS=12.429J/mol/K) change proved the dominant role of electrostatic interaction in binding process. Multi-spectroscopic analysis also confirmed that the protein secondary structure and hydrophobicity were significantly affected. Molecular docking further verified the NMR and spectroscopic results. Overall, 3,4,5-triCQA exhibited a strong albumin affinity owing to the plural caffeoyl groups, which lead to the enhanced pharmacological activities. This study clarified the molecular mechanism of 3,4,5-triCQA in binding to HSA, and the findings are beneficial for the research on polyphenol-like drugs and antioxidants in foods or cosmetics.

Interactions of cinnamaldehyde and its metabolite cinnamic acid with human serum albumin and interference of other food additives

Considering the adverse effect of food additives on humans, thorough research of their physiological effects at the molecular level is important. The interactions of cinnamaldehyde (CNMA), a food perfume, and its major metabolite cinnamic acid (CA) with human serum albumin (HSA) were examined by multiple-spectroscopies. NMR analysis revealed CNMA and CA both bound to HSA, and STD-NMR experiments established CNMA and CA primarily interacted with site I and site II of HSA, respectively. The ligands caused strong quenching of HSA fluorescence through a static quenching mechanism, with hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction between CNMA/CA and HSA, respectively. UV-vis absorption and CD results showed ligands induced secondary structure changes of HSA. Binding configurations were proved by docking method. Furthermore, binding constants of CNMA/CA-HSA systems were influenced by the addition of four other food additives. These studies have increased our knowledge regarding the safety and biological action of CNMA and CA.