In vitro lung epithelial cell transport and anti-interleukin-8 releasing activity of liposomal ciprofloxacin

The ameliorative effects of topical gemifloxacin alone or in combination with clobetasol propionate on imiquimod-induced model of psoriasis in mice

Psoriasis is a lifelong immune-driven skin condition characterized by excessive epidermal overgrowth and inflammatory cell infiltration. Gemifloxacin is a fourth-generation fluoroquinolone with improved immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties that are believed to possess an attractive role in psoriasis via suppressing the production of cytokines, chemokines, and eosinophil and neutrophil chemotaxis. The aim of this research is to investigate the ameliorative effects of prolonged topical gemifloxacin (GMF) alone and combined with clobetasol propionate (CLO) on an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model of psoriasis. Forty-eight Swiss albino mice were divided into six groups of eight. All groups except the negative controls got 62.5 mg of IMQ 5% topically for 8 days. Mice in the control group (controls) got Vaseline instead. Following the induction in the IMQ 5% group, mice in treatment groups CLO 0.05, GMF 1%, GMF 3%, and CLO + GMF obtained clobetasol propionate 0.05%, GMF 1% and 3%, and a combination of both, respectively, for an additional 8 days, rendering the experiment 16 days long. Our results revealed that gemifloxacin alleviated erythematous, thickened, and scaly psoriatic lesions and inhibited the tissue level of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-8, IL-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). The anti-inflammatory effect also occurred by hindering nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and reversing histopathological problems. Gemifloxacin acts effectively in mitigating psoriasis-associated lesions and restricting NF-κB-mediated inflammation, recommending gemifloxacin as a promising adjuvant candidate for additional studies on the long-term treatment of autoimmune and autoinflammatory dermatoses like psoriasis.

In vitro and ex vivo models in inhalation biopharmaceutical research - advances, challenges and future perspectives

Oral inhalation results in pulmonary drug targeting and thereby reduces systemic side effects, making it the preferred means of drug delivery for the treatment of respiratory disorders such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cystic fibrosis. In addition, the high alveolar surface area, relatively low enzymatic activity and rich blood supply of the distal airspaces offer a promising pathway to the systemic circulation. This is particularly advantageous when a rapid onset of pharmacological action is desired or when the drug is suffering from stability issues or poor biopharmaceutical performance following oral administration. Several cell and tissue-based in vitro and ex vivo models have been developed over the years, with the intention to realistically mimic pulmonary biological barriers. It is the aim of this review to critically discuss the available models regarding their advantages and limitations and to elaborate further which biopharmaceutical questions can and cannot be answered using the existing models.

Optimization of inhalable liposomal powder formulations and evaluation of their in vitro drug delivery behavior in Calu-3 human lung epithelial cells

Inhalation therapy has advantages for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial lung infections with high drug concentrations at the infection sites in the airways and reduced systemic exposure. We have developed liposomal formulations for pulmonary delivery of synergistic ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and colistin (Col) as the potential candidate for treatment of lung infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. This study aims to: (1) further optimize the powder formulation by adding drying stabilizers (polyvinyl pyrrolidone or poloxamer) to protect the liposomes during spray-freeze-drying; (2) evaluate the transport and cellular uptake of drugs in a human lung epithelial Calu-3 cell model. The liposomal powder formulations were produced using the ultrasonic spray-freeze-drying technique. The optimal formulation (F5) used mannitol (8% w/v) and sucrose (2% w/v) as the internal lyoprotectants. Adding external lyoprotectants/aerosolization enhancers (i.e. 8% w/v mannitol, 2% w/v sucrose and 1%, w/w PVP 10) produced the superior rehydrated EE values of ciprofloxacin and colistin (50.2 ± 0.9% for Cipro and 37.8 ± 1.2% for Col) as well as satisfactory aerosol performance (FPF: 34.2 ± 0.8% for Cipro and 33.6 ± 0.9% for Col). The cytotoxicity study indicated that F5 with the colistin concentration at 50 μg/mL and ciprofloxacin at 200 μg/mL was not cytotoxic to human lung epithelial Calu-3 cells. The intracellular uptake of ciprofloxacin was concentration-dependent in Calu-3 cells and the uptake of A-B was more than that of B-A for all samples (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates that co-delivery of ciprofloxacin and colistin in a single liposome can lower the transport capability of both drugs across the Calu-3 cell monolayer and their accumulation in the cells. These findings indicate that co-loaded liposomal powder of ciprofloxacin and colistin is a promising potential treatment for respiratory infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

In vitro, ex vivo and in vivo methods of lung absorption for inhaled drugs

The assessment and prediction of lung absorption and disposition are an increasingly essential preclinical task for successful discovery and product development of inhaled drugs for both local and systemic delivery. Hence, in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo preclinical methods of lung absorption continue to evolve with several technical, methodological and analytical refinements. As in vitro lung epithelial cell monolayer models, the air-liquid interface (ALI)-cultured Calu-3 cells have most frequently been used, but the NCI-H441 and hAELVi cells have now been proposed as the first immortalized human alveolar epithelial cells capable of forming highly-restricted monolayers. The primary ALI-cultured three-dimensional (3D) human lung cell barriers have also become available; efforts to incorporate aerosol drug deposition into the in vitro lung cell models continue; and stem cell-derived lung epithelial cells and "lung-on-a-chip" technology are emerging. The ex vivo isolated perfused rat lung (IPRL) methods have increasing been used, as they enable the kinetic determination of tissue/organ-level diffusive and membrane protein-mediated absorption and competing non-absorptive loss; the assessment of "pre-epithelial" aerosol biopharmaceutical events in the lung, such as dissolution and release; and the ex vivo-to-in vivo extrapolation and prediction. Even so, in vivo small rodent-based methods have been of mainstay use, while large animal-based methods find an additional opportunity to study region-dependent lung absorption and disposition. It is also exciting that human pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles and systemic exposures for inhaled drugs/molecules may be able to be predicted from these in vivo rodent PK data following lung delivery using kinetic modeling approach with allometric scaling. Overall, the value of these preclinical assessments appears to have shifted more to their translational capability of predicting local lung and systemic exposure in humans, in addition to rationalizing optimal inhaled dosage form and delivery system for drugs/molecules in question. It is critically important therefore to make appropriate selection and timely exploitation of the best models at each stage of drug discovery and development program for efficient progress toward product approval and clinical use.