Development of a novel transdermal patch containing sumatriptan succinate for the treatment of migraine: in vitro and in vivo characterization

Rizatriptan-Loaded Oral Fast Dissolving Films: Design and Characterizations

Rizatriptan (RZT) is an efficient anti-migraine drug which belongs to the class of selective 5 HT (1B/1D) serotonin receptor agonists. Nevertheless, RZT elicits several adverse effects and RZT nasal sprays have a limited half-life, requiring repeated doses that could cause patient noncompliance or harm to the nasopharynx and cilia. The current research aimed to develop orally disintegrating films (ODFs) of RZT employing maltodextrin (MTX) and pullulan (PUL) as film-forming polymers, as well as propylene glycol (PG) as a plasticizer. The ODFs were prepared by solvent casting method (SCM). The technique was optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD), contemplating the ratios of PUL: MTX and different levels of PG (%) as factor variables. The influence of these factors was systematically analyzed on the selected dependent variables, including film thickness, disintegration time (D-time), folding endurance (FE), tensile strength (TS), percent elongation (%E), moisture content (%), and water uptake (%). In addition, the surface morphology, solid state analysis, drug content uniformity (%), drug release (%), and pH of the RZT-ODFs were also studied. The results demonstrated a satisfactory stable RZT-ODFs formulation that exhibited surface homogeneity and amorphous RZT in films with no discernible interactions between the model drug and polymeric materials. The optimized film showed a rapid D-time of 16 s and remarkable mechanical features. The in vitro dissolution kinetics showed that 100% RZT was released from optimized film compared to 61% RZT released from conventional RZT formulation in the initial 5 min. An animal pharmacokinetic (PK) investigation revealed that RZT-ODFs had a shorter time to achieve peak plasma concentration (T_max), a higher maximum plasma concentration (C_max), and area under the curve (AUC_0-t) than traditional oral mini capsules. These findings proposed a progressive approach for developing anti-migraine drugs that could be useful in reducing the complications of dysphagia in geriatric and pediatric sufferers.

Development and Characterizations of Pullulan and Maltodextrin-Based Oral Fast-Dissolving Films Employing a Box-Behnken Experimental Design

Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by severe headaches, visual aversions, auditory, and olfactory disorders, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Zolmitriptan (ZMT^®) is a potent 5HT1B/1D serotonin receptor agonist frequently used for the treatment of migraine. It has erratic absorption from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), but its oral bioavailability is low (40-45%) due to the hepatic metabolism. This makes it an ideal candidate for oral fast dissolving formulations. Hence, the current study was undertaken to design and develop oral fast-dissolving films (OFDFs) containing ZMT for migraine treatment. The OFDFs were formulated by the solvent casting method (SCM) using Pullulan (PU) and maltodextrin (MDX) as film-forming agents and propylene glycol (PG) as a plasticizer. The strategy was designed using Box-Behnken experimental design considering the proportion of PU:MDX and percentage of PG as independent variables. The effectiveness of the OFDF's was measured based on the following responses: drug release at five min, disintegration time (D-time), and tensile strength (TS). The influence of formulation factors, including percent elongation (%E), thickness, water content, moisture absorption, and folding endurance on ZMT-OFDFs, were also studied. The results showed a successful fabrication of stable ZMT-OFDFs, with surface uniformity and amorphous shape of ZMT in fabricated films. The optimized formulation showed a remarkable rapid dissolution, over 90% within the first 5 min, a fast D-time of 18 s, and excellent mechanical characteristics. Improved maximum plasma concentration (C max) and area under the curve (AUC 0-t) in animals (rats) treated with ZMT-OFDFs compared to those treated with an intra-gastric (i-g) suspension of ZMT were also observed. Copolymer OFDFs with ZMT is an exciting proposition with great potential for the treatment of migraine headache. This study offers a promising strategy for developing ZMT-OFDFs using SCM. ZMT-OFDFs showed remarkable rapid dissolution and fast D-time, which might endeavor ZMT-OFDFs as an auspicious alternative approach to improve patient compliance and shorten the onset time of ZMT in migraine treatment.

Transdermal Delivery of Anionic Phospholipid Nanoparticles Containing Fullerene

In this work, we prepared a transparent dispersion of fullerene nanoparticles by sonication with anionic phospholipids of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylglycerol (DPPG) with fluorescently NBD-labeled 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine (DPPE). Upon incubation of the fullerene nanoparticles with a rat skin, the nanoparticles successfully penetrated the stratum corneum and reached the epidermis.

Transdermal Delivery of Small-Sized Resveratrol Nanoparticles to Epidermis Using Anionic Phospholipids

Composite nanoparticles composed of anionic phospholipid of 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphorylglycerol (DPPG) and resveratrol (Res) were successfully prepared by mixing them in water and a subsequent heating/cooling process. Small-sized DPPG-Res nanoparticles (<60 nm) could be prepared by ultrasonic fragmentation. Upon addition of size-controlled fluorescently labeled Res (FLRes) nanoparticles stabilized with DPPG (DPPG-FLRes) to rat skin tissue, FLRes molecules infiltrated into the epidermis layer permeating stratum corneum.

Piceid Nanoparticles Stabilized by Anionic Phospholipids for Transdermal Delivery

Piceid, stilbenoid glucoside, is a representative resveratrol derivative. Because of a high tyrosinase inhibitory activity of piceid through resveratrol derivatives, transdermal delivery of piceid has been desired for taking advantage of the activity. Here we successfully prepared composite nanoparticles composed of anionic phospholipid of 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphorylglycerol (DPPG) and piceid by mixing them in water and a subsequent heating/cooling process. When small-sized fluorescently labeled DPPG-piceid (DPPG-FLpiceid) nanoparticles were added to rat skin tissue, FLpiceid molecules were localized in stratum corneum.

Size-Tunable Paclitaxel Nanoparticles Stabilized by Anionic Phospholipids for Transdermal Delivery Applications

Composite nanoparticles composed of an anionic phospholipid of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylglycerol (DPPG) and paclitaxel (PTX) were successfully prepared by mixing them in water followed by a subsequent heating/cooling process. The size of DPPG-PTX nanoparticle could be easily tuned by ultrasonic fragmentation. Upon addition of small-sized fluorescently labeled paclitaxel (FLPTX) nanoparticles with DPPG (DPPG-FLPTX) to rat skin tissue, part of the FLPTX molecules permeated to the stratum corneum.