The micron and nanometer-sized γ-cyclodextrin metal–organic frameworks (γ-CD-MOFs) were successfully synthesized using the microwave technique for the first time for rapid and facile synthesis. Polyethylene glycol 20000 (PEG 20000) was used as surfactant to control the size and morphology of γ-CD-MOFs. The as-synthesized γ-CD-MOFs were characterized using various techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and N2 adsorption. The increment in the reaction time and MeOH ratio dramatically damaged the crystalline integrity of γ-CD-MOFs. Fenbufen was selected as a model drug to evaluate the loading characteristics of γ-CD-MOF crystals. As a result, the nanometer sized γ-CD-MOFs (100–300 nm) showed rapid and higher adsorption (196 mg g–1) of Fenbufen in EtOH when compared with the micron crystals. The adsorption parameters fitted well to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and chemisorption of Fenbufen was further supported by molecular docking illustrations. In summary, the controlled synthesis of γ-CD-MOFs was successfully achieved by microwave assisted method and resultant crystals were further evaluated for potential drug delivery applications.

•The HPAC, SPR and SPRi methods were compared from drug-CD interaction measurements.•A large deviation in data from 3 methods was observed for 18 insoluble drugs.•The performance and importance of each method was thoroughly discussed.•The article will help to select the appropriate methodology for future measurements.Three advanced methods, high performance affinity chromatography (HPAC), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) were compared and evaluated for determining the drug-cyclodextrin (CD) interactions herein. In total, 18 sparingly soluble drugs were selected for this comparative study. The three methods share a unique connection in the working principles and strategies. The same strategies of CD fixation onto solid phase were used in HPAC and SPR for the measurements, whereas, the SPR and SPRi share identical working principles. However, whilst these relationships are evident, no strong correlation was found between kinetic constants obtained from the three methods: Four drugs, namely, prednisolone, pseudolaric acid B, diazepam and gramisetron failed to show any response on SPR, whereas, the kinetics parameters from SPRi and HPAC were successfully measured. From a comparative review of all the kinetic data, random results without any trends were observed (ka, kd and KA) regardless of the relationships between the three methods: It is apparent that the measurement conditions (volume, flow rate, buffers), non-specific adsorption and experimental procedures had a strong impact on the generated data. The relative advantages and limitations of each method are critically presented on the basis of generated data. This comparative study provides a basis to further upgrade these techniques for confident measurement of drug-CDs interactions.

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is one of the most important excipients due to its outstanding binding and tableting properties. Owing to the absence of high resolution characterization techniques at the single particle scale, 3D (three dimension) microstructure of MCC and its effects on formulation performance remain unexamined. The aim of this work was to establish a methodology for single particles of MCC type 102 based on synchrotron radiation X-ray micro computed tomography (SR-μCT), principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLSDA). Scanning electron microscopy, SR-μCT, powders properties together with tensile strength (TS), disintegration time (DT), Kawakita plots and force/displacement profiles of tablets were measured. PCA-PLSDA was applied to evaluate the structural classification of MCC particles on the basis of 2D and 3D SR-μCT derived images. The studied MCCs were found to differ in the TS, DT, Kawakita plot and force/displacement, while box ratio and Feret ratio had major influence on the principal components, but the angle of repose, bulk and tapped density did not exhibit significantly. These findings verified that different samples of MCCs from alternative suppliers have morphological diversity when assessed at the individual particle level, which could result into variation in powder properties and tableting performance.Download high-res image (183KB)Download full-size image

Cyclodextrin-based metal-organic frameworks (CD-MOFs) represent an environment-friendly and biocompatible class of MOFs drawing increasing attention in drug delivery. Lansoprazole (LPZ) is a proton-pump inhibitor used to reduce the production of acid in the stomach and recently identified as an antitubercular prodrug. Herein, LPZ loaded CD-MOFs were successfully synthesized upon the assembly with γ-CD in the presence of K+ ions using an optimized co-crystallization method. They were characterized in terms of morphology, size and crystallinity, showing almost perfect cubic morphologies with monodispersed size distributions. The crystalline particles, loaded or not with LPZ, have mean diameters of around 6 μm. The payloads reached 23.2 ± 2.1% (wt) which corresponds to a molar ratio of 1:1 between LPZ and γ-CD. It was demonstrated that even after two years storage, the incorporated drug inside the CD-MOFs maintained its spectroscopic characteristics. Molecular modelling provided a deeper insight into the interaction between the LPZ and CD-MOFs. Raman spectra of individual particles were recorded, confirming the formation of inclusion complexes within the tridimensional CD-MOF structures. Of note, it was found that each individual particle had the same chemical composition. The LPZ-loaded particles had remarkable homogeneity in terms of both drug loading and size. These results pave the way towards the use of CD-MOFs for drug delivery purposes.Download high-res image (175KB)Download full-size image

This study investigated the formulation mechanism of microspheres via internal surfactant distribution. Eudragit L100 based microspheres loaded with bovine serum albumin were prepared by solid in oil in oil emulsion solvent evaporation method using acetone and liquid paraffin system containing sucrose stearate as a surfactant. The fabricated microspheres were evaluated for encapsulation efficiency, particle size, production yield, and in vitro release characteristics. The internal structures of microspheres were characterized using synchrotron radiation X-ray microcomputed tomography (SR-µCT). The enhanced contrast made the sucrose stearate distinguished from Eudragit to have its three dimensional (3D) distribution. Results indicated that the content and concentration determined the state of sucrose stearate and had significant influences on the release kinetics of protein. The dispersity of sucrose stearate was the primary factor that controlled the structure of the microspheres and further affected the encapsulation efficiency, effective drug loading, as well as in vitro release behavior. In conclusion, the 3D internal distribution of surfactant in microspheres and its effects on protein release behaviors have been revealed for the first time. The highly resolved 3D architecture provides new evidence for the deep understanding of the microsphere formation mechanism.Download high-res image (80KB)Download full-size image

A facile and one step-method was developed to enhance the water stability of CD-MOF nanoparticles through surface modification with cholesterol. CD-MOFs were able to maintain their cubic crystalline structures even after 24 h of incubation, well tolerated in vivo and could increase up to 4 times the blood half-life of DOX.

Herein, in addition to conventional β-CD-NSPs, the NSPs of α, γ, HP-β, methyl-β, and SBE-β cyclodextrins were synthesized by a simple modified approach and thoroughly characterized. The control of CDs derivatization over structural dimensions and properties was clearly observed. It is interesting to note the complete transformation of β-CD from its crystalline form to its non-crystalline derivatives and the further reversal when the derivatives are prepared into NSPs including those of α and γ-CDs (as observed by PXRD). The SEM images revealed the different morphologies and porous structure of NSPs and, in particular, the NSPs of methyl-β-CD exhibited regular spherical shapes. Two drugs of different categories, doxorubicin and captopril, were evaluated for loading efficiencies, which were found to significantly vary with cross-linker ratio (1 : 4 and 1 : 6) and CD types. Together, all the synthesized NSPs provide a new horizon to try to solve existing problems relating to drug delivery.

•Structured γ-CD-MOFs as stationary phase was used for drug loading and retention.•High correlation between retention and drug loading was observed for γ-CD-MOFs.•New method is highly efficient to the conventional ways of drug loading into MOFs.Drug loading into γ-cyclodextrin-metal organic frameworks (γ-CD-MOFs) using the impregnation approach is a laborious process. In this study, a γ-CD-MOF construct (2–5 μm particle diameter) was used as the stationary phase under HPLC conditions with the aim to correlate retention properties and drug loading capability of the CD-based structure. Ketoprofen, fenbufen and diazepam were chosen as model drugs with m-xylene as a control analyte to investigate the correlation of drug loading and their chromatographic behaviour in the γ-CD-MOF column. Furthermore, γ-CD itself was also prepared as the stationary phase by coupling with silica in the column to illustrate the enhanced interaction between drugs and γ-CD-MOF as a reference. The retention and loading efficiency of the drugs were determined with different ratios of hexane and ethanol (10:90, 20:80, 50:50, 80:20, 90:10, v/v) at temperatures of 20, 25, 30 and 37 °C. With the increment in hexane content, the loading efficiency of ketoprofen and fenbufen increased from 2.39 ± 0.06% to 4.38 ± 0.04% and from 5.82 ± 0.94% to 6.37 ± 0.29%, respectively. The retention time and loading efficiency of ketoprofen and diazepam were the lowest at 30 °C while those of fenbufen had the different tendency. The excellent relation between the retention and loading efficiency onto γ-CD-MOF could be clearly observed through mobile phase and temperature investigation. In conclusion, a highly efficient chromatographic method has been established to evaluate the drug loading capability of γ-CD-MOF.

To explain thermal stability enhancement of an organic compound, sucralose, with cyclodextrin based metal organic frameworks.Micron and nanometer sized basic CD-MOFs were successfully synthesized by a modified vapor diffusion method and further neutralized with glacial acetic acid. Sucralose was loaded into CD-MOFs by incubating CD-MOFs with sucralose ethanol solutions. Thermal stabilities of sucralose-loaded basic CD-MOFs and neutralized CD-MOFs were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD).Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) results showed that basic CD-MOFs were cubic crystals with smooth surface and uniform sizes. The basic CD-MOFs maintained their crystalline structure after neutralization. HPLC-ELSD analysis indicated that the CD-MOF crystal size had significant influence on sucralose loading (SL). The maximal SL of micron CD-MOFs (CD-MOF-Micro) was 17.5 ± 0.9% (w/w). In contrast, 27.9 ± 1.4% of sucralose could be loaded in nanometer-sized basic CD-MOFs (CD-MOF-Nano). Molecular docking modeling showed that sucralose molecules preferentially located inside the cavities of γ-CDs pairs in CD-MOFs. Raw sucralose decomposed fast at 90°C, with 86.2 ± 0.2% of the compound degraded within only 1 h. Remarkably, sucralose stability was dramatically improved after loading in neutralized CD-MOFs, with only 13.7 ± 0.7% degradation at 90°C within 24 h.CD-MOFs efficiently incorporated sucralose and maintained its integrity upon heating at elevated temperatures.

Despite its 3D porous structure, the pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrin based cross-linked polymers are limited due to their structural irregularities. To address this issue, a template-directed strategy is used to obtain cubic micro and nano cyclodextrin cross-linked polymer (CD-cubes) from cyclodextrin metal organic frameworks in this study. The well-organized γ-CDs in MOFs were crosslinked by diphenyl carbonate by a facile single step chemical reaction. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the almost perfect cubic shapes of the particles with a disordered internal structure. Contrarily to the non-crosslinked materials which immediately dissolved in water, the CD-cubes were remarkably stable after extensive washing with water. The CD-cubes possessed a mesoporous structure with pore size in the range of 2–4 nm and showed much higher BET surface and 8 times higher adsorption capacity for doxorubicin as compared to conventional cyclodextrin-sponges.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which are typically embedded in polymer matrices as composites, are emerging as a new class of carriers for sustained drug delivery. Most of the MOFs and the polymers used so far in these composites, however, are not pharmaceutically acceptable. In the investigation reported herein, composites of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD)-based MOFs (CD-MOFs) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) were prepared by a solid in oil-in-oil (s/o/o) emulsifying solvent evaporation method. A modified hydrothermal protocol has been established which produces efficiently at 50 °C in 6 h micron (5–10 μm) and nanometer (500–700 nm) diameter CD-MOF particles of uniform size with smooth surfaces and powder X-ray diffraction patterns that are identical with those reported in the literature. Ibuprofen (IBU) and Lansoprazole (LPZ), both insoluble in water and lacking in stability, were entrapped with high drug loading in nanometer-sized CD-MOFs by co-crystallisation (that is more effective than impregnation) without causing MOF crystal degradation during the loading process. On account of the good dispersion of drug-loaded CD-MOF nanocrystals inside polyacrylic acid (PAA) matrices and the homogeneous distribution of the drug molecules within these crystals, the composite microspheres exhibit not only spherical shapes and sustained drug release over a prolonged period of time, but they also demonstrate reduced cell toxicity. The cumulative release rate for IBU (and LPZ) follows the trend: IBU-γ-CD complex microspheres (ca. 80% in 2 h) > IBU microspheres > IBU-CD-MOF/PAA composite microspheres (ca. 50% in 24 h). Importantly, no burst release of IBU (and LPZ) was observed from the CD-MOF/PAA composite microspheres, suggesting an even distribution of the drug as well as strong drug carrier interactions inside the CD-MOF. In summary, these composite microspheres, composed of CD-MOF nanocrystals embedded in a biocompatible polymer (PAA) matrix, constitute an efficient and pharmaceutically acceptable MOF-based carrier for sustained drug release.

•A HPAC-MS/MS method was developed to determine kd,app of drug-cyclodextrin interaction with twenty drugs in one injection.•The HPAC-MS/MS method was employed to determine the kd,app of twenty drugs in one injection with high-throughput yield.•Good correlationship was found between kd,app measured by single compound analysis method and high-throughput HPAC-MS/MS approach.•Drug-CD interaction kinetics under different conditions was also investigated based on the comprehensive quantification of ka,app, kd,app and Ka.The individual determination of the apparent dissociation rate constant (kd,app) using high performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) is a tedious process requiring numerous separate tests and massive data fitting, unable to provide the apparent association rate constant (ka) and equilibrium binding constant (Ka). In this study, a HPAC with mass spectrometry detection (HPAC-MS/MS) was employed to determine the drug-cyclodextrin (CD) interaction kinetics with low sample loading quantity (<10 ng per injection for single compound) and high-throughput yield as twenty drugs determined in one injection. The kd,app measured by HPAC-MS/MS approach were 0.89 ± 0.07, 4.34 ± 0.01, 1.48 ± 0.01 and 7.77 ± 0.04 s−1 for ketoprofen, trimethoprim, indapamide and acetaminophen, with kd,app for acetaminophen consistent with that from the HPAC method with UV detector in our previous studies. For twenty drugs with diverse structures and chemical properties, good correlationship was found between kd,app measured by single compound analysis method and high-throughput HPAC-MS/MS approach, with the correlation coefficient of 0.987 and the significance F less than 0.001. Comprehensive quantification of ka,app, kd,app and Ka values was further performed based on the measurement of kd,app by peak profiling method and Ka by the peak fitting method. And the investigation of the drug-CD interaction kinetics under different conditions indicated that the column temperature and mobile phase composition significantly affected the determination of ka,app, kd,app and Ka while also dependent on the acidity and basicity of drugs. In summary, the high-throughput HPAC-MS/MS approach has been demonstrated high efficiency in determination of the drug-CD primary interaction kinetic parameter, especially, kd,app, being proven as a novel tool in screening the right CD for the solubilization of the right drug.

In answering to the challenge of enzymatic unstability of Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class II drugs, an effective remote loading strategy was developed to successfully incorporate the drug–cyclodextrin (CD) complex into niosomes to modify the release and stability of a drug candidate, pseudolaric acid B (PAB). Judged by binding constants, and combined solubilization effects of pH and CD complexation on PAB at different pH, the complex internalization driven by a transmembrane pH gradient (from 2.0 to 7.4) and the dynamic shifting of PAB–CD complexation equilibrium at this gradient were introduced. The transfer of PAB–CD complex into the internal aqueous phase of niosomes at 60 °C was primarily verified by synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The remote loading samples behaved as retarded release at pH 5.8, 6.8, and 7.4, for which the stability of PAB in rat plasma was significantly enhanced (about 8.1-fold), in comparison with niosomes prepared by the passive and lipid bilayer loading of PAB. The drug–carrier interaction based release modeling was further fitted, and the convection rate constant (ks) and free energy difference between free and bound states (ΔG) indicated the strongest PAB–carrier interactions in remote loading niosomes. The remote loading strategy also reduced the CD–cholesterol interaction and provided better physical stability of the system. In conclusion, the remote loading of drug–CD complex into niosomes provides advantages to modify the release and enhance the stability of unstable BCS class II drug.

Applications of small molecule microarrays (SMMs) has been extensively studied but have been limited to the screening of small molecule inhibitors. Here for the first time, we conjugated SMMs with label free surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) for measurement of kinetic parameters for drug–cyclodextrins interactions in high-throughput manner. A collection of insoluble drugs was immobilized onto biosensor surface using photo-cross-linked technique to form SMMs. A highly sensitive and recently reported surface chemistry based on surface initiated polymerization chemistry was used for SMMs fabrication. In total, 38 insoluble drugs were evaluated for their interaction profile and kinetic rate constants against 5 different types of cyclodextrins (CDs) including, α-CD, β-CD, γ-CD, 2-hydroxylpropyl β-CD (HP-β-CD) and sulphobutyl-ether-β-CD (SBE-β-CD). For the supramolecular drug–CD interaction kinetics, the response magnitude and detailed kinetic parameters were calculated and presented in the article. The presented method described a label free and high-throughput technique for real time measurement of kinetic constants for drug–CDs interactions which will assist the selection and use of different CDs in number of different applications.

The control of supramolecular systems requires a thorough understanding of their dynamics, especially on a molecular level. It is extremely difficult to determine the thermokinetic parameters of supramolecular systems, such as drug–cyclodextrin complexes with fast association/dissociation processes by experimental techniques. In this paper, molecular modeling combined with novel mathematical relationships integrating the thermodynamic/thermokinetic parameters of a series of isomeric multiconfigurations to predict the overall parameters in a range of pH values have been employed to study supramolecular dynamics at the molecular level. A suitable form of Eyring’s equation was derived and a two-stage model was introduced. The new approach enabled accurate prediction of the apparent dissociation/association (koff/kon) and unbinding/binding (k–r/kr) rate constants of the ubiquitous multiconfiguration complexes of the supramolecular system. The pyronine Y (PY) was used as a model system for the validation of the presented method. Interestingly, the predicted koff value ((40 ± 1) × 105 s–1, 298 K) of PY is largely in agreement with that previously determined by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy ((5 ± 3) × 105 s–1, 298 K). Moreover, the koff/kon and k–r/kr for flurbiprofen−β-cylcodextrin and ibuprofen−β-cyclodextrin systems were also predicted and suggested that the association processes are diffusion-controlled. The methodology is considered to be especially useful in the design and selection of excipients for a supramolecular system with preferred association and dissociation rate constants and understanding their mechanisms. It is believed that this new approach could be applicable to a wide range of ligand–receptor supramolecular systems and will surely help in understanding their complex mechanism.

•Relaxin is a peptide hormone with potential to be a new drug.•A bioactivity assay of relaxin was based on cAMP accumulation in THP-1 cells.•The cAMP accumulation was quantified by LC–MS/MS.•Compared with the ELISA, the LC–MS/MS indicated higher precision and selectivity.This study describes a reliable bioactivity assay of porcine relaxin (pRLX) based on cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in the human monocyte cell-line quantified by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). As a result, the LC–MS/MS was based on a positive selected reaction monitoring of cAMP with a stable internal standard, 8-Br-cAMP and a protein precipitation procedure by HClO4. The standard curve of cAMP was linear from 5.0 ng mL−1 to 992.0 ng mL−1, with lower limits of detection and quantification of 0.5 ng mL−1 and 5.0 ng mL−1, respectively. The satisfactory validation data including stability assay were obtained. When measured by the LC–MS/MS, the pRLX sample showed a time- and dose-dependent stimulation of cAMP with the concentration for 50% of the maximal effect (EC50) of 40.6 ng mL−1. The developed method indicated higher precision and selectivity than the commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits, which showed EC50 of 66.6 ng mL−1.

The influence of surfactants on the stability of cyclodextrin (CD) Pickering emulsions is not well understood. In this study, we report two-way effects of Tween 80 and soybean lecithin (PL) on the long term stability of Pickering emulsions stabilized by the self-assembled microcrystals of α-CD and medium chain triglycerides (MCT). The CD emulsions in the absence and presence of Tween 80 or PL at different concentrations were prepared and characterized by the droplet size, viscosity, contact angle, interfacial tension and residual emulsion values. After adding Tween 80 and PL, similar effects on the size distribution and contact angle were observed. However, changes of viscosity and interfacial tension were significantly different and two-way effects on the stability were found: (i) synergistic enhancement by Tween 80; (ii) inhibition at low and enhancement at high concentrations by PL. The stability enhancement of Tween 80 was due to the interfacial tension decrease caused by the interaction of Tween 80 with CD at the o/w interface at lower concentrations, and significant viscosity increase caused by the Tween 80–CD assembly in the continuous phase. For PL at low concentrations, the replacement of α-CD/MCT by α-CD/PL particles at the o/w interface was observed, leading to inhibitory effects. High concentrations of PL resulted in an extremely low interfacial tension and stable emulsion. In conclusion, the extensive inclusion of surfactants by CD leads to their unique effects on the stability of CD emulsions, for which the changes of viscosity and interfacial tension caused by host–guest interactions play important roles.

•A modified HPAC method is proposed to determine kd of cyclodextrin supramolecules.•The plate height for the theoretical nonretained substance is estimated.•The kd for acetaminophen and sertraline are determined as 1.78 and 1.91 s−1.•The kd value is consistent with that determined by capillary electrophoresis.It is challenging and extremely difficult to measure the kinetics of supramolecular systems with extensive, weak binding (Ka < 105 M−1), and fast dissociation, such as those composed of cyclodextrins and drugs. In this study, a modified peak profiling method based on high performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) was established to determine the dissociation rate constant of cyclodextrin supramolecular systems. The interactions of β-cyclodextrin with acetaminophen and sertraline were used to exemplify the method. The retention times, variances and the plate heights of the peaks for acetaminophen or sertraline, conventional non-retained substance (H2O) on the β-cyclodextrin bonded column and a control column were determined at four flow rates under linear elution conditions. Then, plate heights for the theoretical non-retained substance were estimated by the modified HPAC method, in consideration of the diffusion and stagnant mobile phase mass transfer. As a result, apparent dissociation rate constants of 1.82 (±0.01) s−1 and 3.55 (±0.37) s−1 were estimated for acetaminophen and sertraline respectively at pH 6.8 and 25 °C with multiple flow rates. Following subtraction of the non-specific binding with the support, dissociation rate constants were estimated as 1.78 (±0.00) and 1.91 (±0.02) s−1 for acetaminophen and sertraline, respectively. These results for acetaminophen and sertraline were in good agreement with the magnitude of the rate constants for other drugs determined by capillary electrophoresis reported in the literature and the peak fitting method we performed. The method described in this work is thought to be suitable for other supramolecules, with relatively weak, fast and extensive interactions.

•Formation of DHA–HP-β-CD–lecithin ternary system was confirmed by FT-IR, DSC and PXRD.•Solubility and stability enhancements based on the formation of ternary system were verified.•The possible molecular mechanism and structure of ternary system were proposed based on docking studies.•The importance of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction for ternary system was discussed.The purpose of this study was to simultaneously improve the solubility and stability of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in aqueous solutions by a ternary cyclodextrin system comprised of DHA, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and a third auxiliary substance. Solubility and phase solubility studies were carried out to evaluate the solubilizing efficiency of HP-β-CD in association with various auxiliary substances. Then, the solid binary (DHA–HP-β-CD or DHA–lecithin) and ternary systems were prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and power X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The effect of the ternary system on the solubility, dissolution and stability of DHA in aqueous solutions was also investigated. As a result, the soybean lecithin was found to be the most promising third component in terms of solubility enhancement. For the solid characterization, the disappearance of the drug crystallinity indicated the formation of new solid phases, implicating the formation of the ternary system. The dissolution rate of the solid ternary system was much faster than that of the drug alone and binary systems. Importantly, compared with binary systems, the ternary system showed a significant improvement in the stability of DHA in Hank's balanced salt solutions (pH 7.4). The solubility and stability of DHA in aqueous solutions were simultaneously enhanced by the ternary system, which might be attributed to the possible formation of a ternary complex. For the ternary interactions, results of molecular docking studies further indicated that the lecithin covered the top of the wide rim of HP-β-CD and surrounded around the peroxide bridging of DHA, providing the possibility for the ternary complex formation. In summary, the ternary system prepared in our study, with simultaneous enhancement of DHA solubility and stability in aqueous solutions, might have an important pharmaceutical potential in the development of a better oral formulation of DHA.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide

The hydration layer plays a key role in the controlled drug release of gel-forming matrix tablets. For poorly water-soluble drugs, matrix erosion is considered as the rate limiting step for drug release. However, few investigations have reported on the quantification of the relative importance of swelling and erosion in the release of poorly soluble drugs, and three-dimensional (3D) structures of the hydration layer are poorly understood. Here, we employed synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography with 9-μm resolution to investigate the hydration dynamics and to quantify the relative importance of swelling and erosion on felodipine release by a statistical model. The 3D structures of the hydration layer were revealed by the reconstructed 3D rendering of tablets. Twenty-three structural parameters related to the volume, the surface area (SA), and the specific surface area (SSA) for the hydration layer and the tablet core were calculated. Three dominating parameters, including SA and SSA of the hydration layer (SAhydration layer and SSAhydration layer) and SA of the glassy core (SAglassy core), were identified to establish the statistical model. The significance order of independent variables was SAhydration layer > SSAhydration layer > SAglassy core, which quantitatively indicated that the release of felodipine was dominated by a combination of erosion and swelling. The 3D reconstruction and structural parameter calculation methods in our study, which are not available from conventional methods, are efficient tools to quantify the relative importance of swelling and erosion in the controlled release of poorly soluble drugs from a structural point of view.

Supramolecular cyclodextrin-based nanoparticles (CD-NPs) mediated by host-guest interactions have gained increased popularity because of their “green” and simple preparation procedure, as well as their versatility in terms of inclusion of active molecules. Herein, we showed that original CD-NPs of around 100 nm are spontaneously formed in water, by mixing 2 aqueous solutions of (1) a CD polymer and (2) dextran grafted with benzophenone moieties. For the first time, CD-NPs were instantaneously produced in a microfluidic interaction chamber by mixing 2 aqueous solutions of neutral polymers, in the absence of organic solvents. Whatever the mixing conditions, CD-NPs with narrow size distributions were immediately formed upon contact of the 2 polymeric solutions. In situ size measurements showed that the CD-NPs were spontaneously formed. Nanoparticle tracking analysis was used to individually follow the CD-NPs in their Brownian motions, to gain insights on their size distribution, concentration, and stability on extreme dilution. Nanoparticle tracking analysis allowed to establish that despite their non-covalent nature, and the CD-NPs were remarkably stable in terms of concentration and size distribution, even on extreme dilution (concentrations as low as 100 ng/mL).

The secretion of melatonin (MT) is obviously different in the younger and the senior sectors of the population, and the maximum plasma concentration of seniors is only half of that in the younger population group. If exogenous MT can be supplied to senior citizens based on the secretion rate and amount of endogenous MT in the younger population by a bio-mimetic drug delivery system (DDS), an improved therapeutic effect and reduced side effects can be expected. Based upon this hypothesis, the pharmacokinetic parameters of MT, namely, the absorption rate constant (ka), the elimination rate constant (ke), and the ratio of absorption rate (F) to the apparent volume of distribution (V) were obtained by a residual method depending on the plasma concentration curve of immediate release preparations in the healthy younger population. The dose-division method was applied to calculate the cumulative release profiles of MT achieved by oral administration of a controlled release drug delivery system (DDS) to generate plasma MT profiles similar to the physiological level-time profiles. The in vivo release of MT deduced from the healthy younger population physiological MT profiles as the pharmacokinetic output of the bio-mimetic DDS showed a two-phase profile with two different zero order release rates, namely, 4.919 μg/h during 0–4 h (r=0.9992), and 11.097 μg/h during 4–12 h (r=0.9886), respectively. Since the osmotic pump type of DDS generally exhibits a good correlation between in vivo and in vitro release behaviors, an osmotic pump controlled delivery system was designed in combination with dry coating technology targeting on the cumulative release characteristics to mimic the physiological MT profiles in the healthy younger population. The high similarity between the experimental drug release profiles and the theoretical profiles (similarity factor f2>50) and the high correlation between the predicted plasma concentration profiles and the theoretical plasma concentration profiles (r=0.9366, 0.9163, 0.9264) indicated that a prototype bio-mimetic drug delivery system of MT was established. The similarity factors between the experimental drug release profiles and the theoretical release profile were all larger than 50 both in periods of 0–4 h and 4–12 h, namely, 68.8 and 57.3 for the first batch (Batch No. 20131031), 76.7 and 50.2 for the second batch (Batch No. 20131101), and 73.7 and 51.1 for the third batch (Batch No. 20131126), respectively. The correlation coefficients between the predicted plasma concentration profiles based on the release profiles of the bio-mimetic DDS and physiological profiles were 0.9366 (Batch No. 20131031), 0.9163 (Batch No. 20131101), 0.9264 (Batch No. 20131126), respectively. Since the pharmacokinetic profile of MT in any kind of animal differs markedly from that of human beings, it is impossible to test the bio-mimetic DDS in animals directly. Therefore, the predicted pharmacokinetic profile based upon the in vitro release kinetics is an acceptable surrogate for the conventional animal test. In this research, a bio-mimetic DDS for replacement of MT was designed with in silico evaluation.A bio-mimetic drug delivery system learns after the nature to mimic the physiological circadian rhythm of endogenous substance via optimizing exogenous substance release profile to give a pharmacokinetically real replacement therapy with reduced side effects.Download full-size image

The influence of surfactants on the stability of cyclodextrin (CD) Pickering emulsions is not well understood. In this study, we report two-way effects of Tween 80 and soybean lecithin (PL) on the long term stability of Pickering emulsions stabilized by the self-assembled microcrystals of α-CD and medium chain triglycerides (MCT). The CD emulsions in the absence and presence of Tween 80 or PL at different concentrations were prepared and characterized by the droplet size, viscosity, contact angle, interfacial tension and residual emulsion values. After adding Tween 80 and PL, similar effects on the size distribution and contact angle were observed. However, changes of viscosity and interfacial tension were significantly different and two-way effects on the stability were found: (i) synergistic enhancement by Tween 80; (ii) inhibition at low and enhancement at high concentrations by PL. The stability enhancement of Tween 80 was due to the interfacial tension decrease caused by the interaction of Tween 80 with CD at the o/w interface at lower concentrations, and significant viscosity increase caused by the Tween 80–CD assembly in the continuous phase. For PL at low concentrations, the replacement of α-CD/MCT by α-CD/PL particles at the o/w interface was observed, leading to inhibitory effects. High concentrations of PL resulted in an extremely low interfacial tension and stable emulsion. In conclusion, the extensive inclusion of surfactants by CD leads to their unique effects on the stability of CD emulsions, for which the changes of viscosity and interfacial tension caused by host–guest interactions play important roles.