Shuai Qian

Biopharmaceutics classification and intestinal absorption study of apigenin

The aim of the study was to characterize the biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) category of apigenin (AP) using intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) and rat intestinal permeability, and to investigate the intestinal absorption mechanism of AP in rats. In the present investigation, equilibrium solubility and intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) of AP were estimated in phosphate buffers. Effective intestinal permeability (P(eff)) of AP was determined using single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) technique in four segments (duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon) of rat intestine at three concentrations (10, 50 and 100 μg/ml). The aqueous solubility of AP in tested phosphate buffers was very poor with maximum solubility of 2.16 μg/ml at pH 7.5. The IDR of AP was very low with a value of 0.006 mg/min/cm(2). The minimum and maximum P(eff)s determined by SPIP were 0.198×10(-4) and 0.713×10(-4) cm/s at jejunum and duodenum site, respectively. In addition, the concentration-dependent permeability behavior was observed in the duodenum and jejunum, which suggested that AP was transported by both passive and active carrier-mediated saturable mechanism in these two intestinal segments. However, the observed concentration-independent permeability behavior in ileum and colon indicated primarily passive transport mechanism of absorption of AP in the last two intestinal segments. AP was classified as class II drug of the BCS due to its low solubility and high intestinal permeability. AP could be well absorbed in the whole intestine with the main absorption site at duodenum. The absorption of AP in four intestinal segments exhibited different transport mechanisms.

Preparation of apigenin nanocrystals using supercritical antisolvent process for dissolution and bioavailability enhancement.

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of nanocrystals to enhance the oral bioavailability of apigenin (AP), a bioactive flavonoid with various pharmacological activities but poor aqueous solubility. In the present investigation, the AP nanocrystals were prepared by the supercritical antisolvent process. In vitro characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffractometry. In vitro dissolution of prepared nanocrystals was studied and compared with untreated coarse powder. In addition, the pharmacokinetic study of AP nanocrystals, in comparison to coarse powder, was also performed in rats after a single oral dose. The prepared AP nanocrystals, without change in crystalline structure, appeared in spherical shape with particle size of about 400-800 nm. The reduction of particle size resulted in a more rapid dissolution of AP from nanocrystals than from coarse powder. In comparison to coarse powder, AP nanocrystals exhibited a significantly decreased t(max), a 3.6-fold higher peak plasma concentration (C(max)) and 3.4-fold higher area under the curve (AUC).

Coformer selection based on degradation pathway of drugs: A case study of adefovir dipivoxil-saccharin and adefovir dipivoxil-nicotinamide cocrystals

Adefovir dipivoxil (AD) is a bis(pivaloyloxymethyl) prodrug of adefovir with chemical stability problem. It undergoes two degradation pathways including hydrolysis and dimerization during storage. Pharmaceutical cocrystallization exhibits a promising approach to enhance aqueous solubility as well as physicochemical stability. In this study we attempted to prepare and investigate the physiochemical properties of AD cocrystals, which were formed with two coformers having different acidity and alkalinity (weakly acidic saccharin (SAC) and weakly basic nicotinamide (NCT)). The presence of different coformer molecules along with AD resulted in altered physicochemical properties. AD-SAC cocrystal showed great improvement in solubility and chemical stability, while AD-NCT did not. Several potential factors giving rise to different solid-state properties were summarized. Different coformers resulted in different cocrystal formation, packing style and hydrogen bond formation. This study could provide the coformer selection strategy based on degradation pathways for some unstable drugs in pharmaceutical cocrystal design.

Development, characterization and application of in situ gel systems for intranasal delivery of tacrine.

The present study aimed to develop an in situ gel formulation for intranasal delivery of tacrine (THA), an anti-Alzheimers drug. Thermosensitive polymer Pluronic F-127 was used to prepare THA in situ gels. Sol-gel transition temperature (Tsol-gel), rheological properties, in vitro release, and in vivo nasal mucociliary transport time were optimized. The pharmacokinetics and brain dispositions of in situ gel were compared with that from THA oral solution in rats. The in situ gel demonstrated a liquid state with Newtonian fluid behavior under 20 °C, while it exhibited as non-flowing gel with pseudoplastic fluid behavior beyond its Tsol-gel of 28.5 °C. Based on nasal mucociliary transport time, the in situ gel significantly prolonged its retention in nasal cavity compared to solution form. Moreover, the in situ gel achieved 2-3 fold higher peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC) of THA in plasma and brain tissue, but lowered Cmax and AUC of the THA metabolites compared to that of oral solution. The enhanced nasal residence time, improved bioavailability, increased brain uptake of parent drug and decreased exposure of metabolites suggested that the in situ gel could be an effective intranasal formulation for THA.

Sustained release and enhanced bioavailability of injectable scutellarin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles

The aim of this study is to characterize the in-vitro physicochemical and in-vivo pharmacokinetic properties of the scutellarin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (STA-BSA-NPs). STA existed as amorphous form in the nanoparticles. Reconstituted STA-BSA-NPs had an average particle size of 283.4 nm and a zeta potential of +17.95 mV. The in-vitro sustained release profile was well fitted with Weibull distribution model. In comparison to STA solution, STA-BSA-NPs exhibited a significantly higher plasma concentration from 20 min to 6 h after intravenous administration to rats. In addition, significantly higher AUC(0-inf) (2.8-fold), prolonged elimination half-life (4.2-fold) and lower clearance (2.7-fold) were achieved.

Bioavailability enhancement of glucosamine hydrochloride by chitosan

Glucosamine, as a dietary supplement for management of osteoarthritis, has a low and erratic oral bioavailability due to its transport-mediated absorption and presystemic loss in liver and GI tract. The present study described an effective approach to improve glucosamine intestinal absorption and hence its bioavailability using chitosan. Effects of chitosan on intestinal permeability and pharmacokinetics of glucosamine were evaluated in Caco-2 cell monolayer and rats, respectively. In addition, randomized crossover pharmacokinetic studies in beagle dogs were performed to evaluate the oral bioavailabilities of the developed glucosamine oral formulations containing chitosan (QD-Glu solution and QD-Glu tablet) in comparison to its commercial products. Caco-2 permeability studies demonstrated that chitosan could enhance the absorptive transport of glucosamine by 1.9-4.0-fold via the reversible opening of the cell tight junction. After oral administration of glucosamine solutions containing chitosan in rats, it was found that 0.5% (w/v) chitosan exhibited the highest enhancement in Cmax (2.8-fold) and AUC0-∞ (2.5-fold) of glucosamine. Further pharmacokinetic studies in beagle dogs demonstrated that QD-Glu solution and QD-Glu tablet showed much higher relative bioavailabilities of 313% and 186%, when comparing with Wellesse™ solution and Voltaflex™ tablet, respectively. In conclusion, chitosan could serve as a promising oral absorption enhancer for glucosamine.

Meclizine Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics: Formulation on Its Absorption

Meclizine, an antihistamine, has been widely used for prophylactic treatment and management of motion sickness. However, the onset of action of meclizine was about 1 hour for the treatment of motion sickness and vertigo. A new suspension formulation of meclizine (MOS) was developed with the intention to achieve a rapid effect. To investigate the pharmacokinetics of the new MOS formulation versus the marketed meclizine oral tablet (MOT), a phase 1 pharmacokinetic study was performed in 20 healthy volunteers. In addition, an in vitro metabolic study using human hepatic microsome and recombinant CYP enzyme was also performed to determine the metabolic pathway in the human body. The plasma concentration of MOS appeared more rapidly in comparison to the MOT. The geometric mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of AUC0–24 and AUC0‐∞ indicated no significant difference in bioavailability between the 2 formulations. CYP2D6 was found to be the dominant enzyme for metabolism of meclizine, and its genetic polymorphism could contribute to the large interindividual variability. In view of the similar bioavailability with a much shorter peak time of the plasma meclizine concentration from the MOS formulation, this new formulation is expected to produce a much quicker onset of action when used for the management of motion sickness.

Physicochemical and pharmacokinetic characterization of a spray-dried malotilate emulsion

Malotilate (MT) is a hepatoprotective drug administered orally. However, MT was found to be a poorly water-soluble drug with low oral bioavailability. In the present investigation, a novel spray-dried emulsion (SDE) loaded with MT was prepared, and its physicochemical properties were characterized by rheological evaluation, particle size measurement, in vitro release, and surface morphology. The pharmacokinetic study of SDE, in comparison to MT suspension with the pure MT powder homogeneously dispersed in 0.5% CMC-Na solution, was also performed in rats after a single oral dose. It was found that SDE exhibited a 2.9-fold higher peak plasma concentration (C(max)) and 2.3-fold higher area under the curve (AUC) than MT suspension.

Synthesis, biological activity, and biopharmaceutical characterization of tacrine dimers as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Tacrine (THA), as the first approved acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimers disease (AD), has been extensively investigated in last seven decades. After dimerization of THA via a 7-carbon alkyl spacer, bis(7)-tacrine (B7T) showed much potent anti-AChE activity than THA. We here report synthesis, biological evaluation and biopharmaceutical characterization of six THA dimers referable to B7T. According to IC50 values, the in vitro anti-AChE activities of THA dimers were up to 300-fold more potent and 200-fold more selective than that of THA. In addition, the anti-AChE activities of THA dimers were found to be associated with the type and length of the linkage. All studied THA dimers showed much lower cytotoxicity than B7T, but like B7T, they demonstrated much lower absorptive permeabilities than that of THA on Caco-2 monolayer model. In addition, all THA dimers demonstrated significant efflux transport (efflux ratio >4), indicating that the limited permeability could be associated with the efflux transport during absorption process. Moreover, the dimer with higher Log P value was accompanied with higher permeability but lower aqueous solubility. A balanced consideration of activity, solubility, cytotoxicity and permeability should be conducted in selection of the potential candidates for further in vivo investigation.

Quantification of meclizine in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

PURPOSE Meclizine is an antihistamine and has been widely used for prophylactic treatment of motion sickness. To facilitate its pharmacokinetic study in human subjects, a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric method employing positive electrospray ionization was developed for the determination of meclizine concentration in human plasma. METHODS Meclizine together with the internal standard (flunarizine) was extracted from 0.1 ml of human plasma by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. The chromatography was performed using a Zorbax SB-C18 column (150 × 2.1mm, 5 μm, Agilent) with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.2% formic acid containing 2mM amino acetate. Multiple reaction monitoring was used for quantification. The validation of the method including sensitivity, linearity, reproducibility and stability was examined. RESULTS The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of the developed assay method for meclizine was 0.5 ng/ml and the linear calibration curve was acquired with R² > 0.99 between 0.5 and 200ng/ml. The intra-day and inter-day variation of the current assay was evaluated with the coefficient of variations (CVs%) within 12.92% at LLOQ and 7.15% for other quality control samples, whereas the mean accuracy ranged from 99.2% to 102.7%. The samples were stable under the storage conditions at least for a month. CONCLUSION The present method provides a robust, fast and sensitive analytical tool for meclizine in human plasma and has been successfully applied to a clinical pharmacokinetic study in 20 subjects.