Study on degradation kinetics of epalrestat in aqueous solutions and characterization of its major degradation products under stress degradation conditions by UHPLC-PDA-MS/MS

Forced Degradation Studies, Elucidation of Degradation Pathways and Degradation Kinetics of Xylopic Acid via LC and LC-MS/MS Analyses

Stability studies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) remain an essential quality requirement of the pharmaceutical industry. Stability data of an API could guide in the choice of its processing technique, packaging method and storage conditions. Here, we sought to determine the stability or otherwise of xylopic acid (XA) under various stress conditions as stipulated by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). XA is a diterpene kaurene isolate of the African spice, Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae) that is credited with diverse biological activities. XA was subjected to various stress conditions (hydrolytic, oxidative, photolytic and thermal) and its degradation products characterized. Seven degradation products were identified and tentatively characterized by LC-MS/MS analysis. The probable degradation pathways for the seven degradation products were then predicted. Using a simple and validated UHPLC-DAD method, the degradation kinetics of XA under the different stress conditions were comprehensively assessed. The degradation of XA under all the stress conditions followed the first order reaction kinetics. XA was found to be less stable in strongly acidic or strongly basic solutions as well as in an oxidizing agent (hydrogen peroxide). The stability of XA was also found to be pH- and temperature-dependent. Its stability was however not affected by UV-light irradiation.

UHPLC-DAD Method Development and Validation: Degradation Kinetic, Stress Studies of Farnesol and Characterization of Degradation Products Using LC-QTOF-ESI-MS with in silico Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity Predictions

Farnesol (FAR) is a sesquiterpene molecule with high lipophilicity that has antibacterial and other pharmacological properties along with broad nutritional values with high commercial values. Although having potential, FAR stability behavior and degradation kinetics are not available in the literature. Hence, it is very essential to develop a simple, rapid, accurate, precise, robust, cheap UHPLC-DAD method for FAR. It was also proposed to study mechanistic insights into FAR under different degradation conditions. Therefore, we hypothesized to do systematic stability studies along with degradation kinetic and accelerated stability studies. The developed method was validated. FAR was studied for stress studies, degradation kinetics and ADMET prediction of degradants. Degradation products were characterized using LC-QTOF-ESI-MS. Developed method consists of an isocratic mobile phase with a wavelength of 215 nm. The percent recoveries for FAR were observed within the acceptance limit of 98-102%. The eight major degradation products were formed during stress studies. FAR follows first-order degradation kinetics. FAR and all degradants were found to have more than 75% good human oral absorption, and are non-toxic. FAR UHPLC-DAD method was developed, validated and performed stability studies to know the possible degradation pattern along with degradation kinetic studies.

UV spectroscopic method for estimation of temozolomide: Application in stability studies in simulated plasma pH, degradation rate kinetics, formulation design, and selection of dissolution media

Temozolomide (TMZ) is a broad spectrum alkylating agent found effective in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, refractory anaplastic astrocytoma, and metastatic melanoma. The major drawback associated with TMZ is pH-dependent stability and short half-life. At physiological pH, it undergoes conversion to MTIC (methyltriazine imidazole carboxamide) and AIC (amino imidazole carboxamide), resulting in only 20-30% brain bioavailability. There is a need for an analytical method for the estimation of TMZ in stability samples and nanoformulations. In this research study, analytical methods were developed for the estimation of TMZ using two media pH 1.2 (0.1 N HCl) and pH 4.5 acetate buffer, which were validated for linearity, range, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and specificity as per ICH guidelines. The % RSD was found to be <2% indicating the reliability of the method. Further, the application of the developed methods was explored. The stability of TMZ in three pH conditions (1.2, 4.5, and 7.4) and the respective degradation rate kinetics was studied. Conversion of TMZ was found to follow first order kinetics with the conversion rate of 0.0011, 0.0011, and 0.0453 h^-1 in pH 1.2, 4.5, and 7.4 respectively. The developed methods accurately estimated the TMZ concentration in lipid nanoformulation (liposomes) indicated by ~100% recovery. Acetate buffer (pH 4.5) was found to be an appropriate dissolution media for TMZ loaded lipid nanoformulations. The developed methods were found to be suitable for routine analysis, for the determination of drug stability and estimation of temozolomide in lipid nanoformulations.

Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Shell/Core Composite Nanoparticles for Enhanced Stability and Antitumor Efficiency Based on a pH-Triggered Charge-Reversal Mechanism

High systemic stability and effective tumor accumulation of chemotherapeutic agents are indispensable elements that determine their antitumor efficacy. PEGylation of nanoparticles (NPs) could prolong the retention time in vivo by improving their stability in circulation, but treatment suffers reduced tumor penetration and cellular uptake of nanomedicines. The tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive NPs maintain their stealth features during circulation and undergo a stimuli-responsive dePEGylation once exposed to the site of action, thereby achieving enhanced internalization in tumor cells. Herein, TME-responsive shell/core composite nanoparticles were prepared and optimized with enhanced stability and tumor intake efficiency. We synthesized 12-hydroxystearic acid-poly (ethylene glycol)-YGRKKRRQRRR (HA-PEG-TAT) as a post-insert apparatus in disulfiram (DSF)-encapsulated naked nanoparticles (N-NPs) in order to form a cationic core (TAT-NPs). Accordingly, the negatively charged poly (glutamate acid)-graft-poly (ethylene glycol) (PGlu-PEG) was further applied to the surface of TAT-NPs as a negative charged shell (PGlu-PEG/TAT-NPs) via the electrostatic interaction between glutamic acids and arginine at the outer ring of the TAT-NPs. PGlu-PEG/TAT-NPs displayed a huge loading capability for DSF with reduced degradation in plasma and exhibited rapid charge reversal when pH decreased from 7.4 to pH 6.5, demonstrating an excellent systemic stability as well as intelligent stimuli-responsive performance within the acidic TME. Furthermore, the in vivo antitumor study revealed that PGlu-PEG/TAT-NPs provided greater antitumor efficacy compared with free DSF and N-NPs with no obvious systemic toxicity. In conclusion, the TME-responsive shell/core composite NPs, consisting of PGlu-PEG and HS-PEG-TAT, could mediate an effective and biocompatible delivery of chemotherapeutic agents with clinical potential.