Assessment of the effect of polymers combination and effervescent component on the drug release of swellable gastro-floating tablet formulation through compartmental modeling-based approach

QbD-based formulation development of resveratrol nanocrystal incorporated into soluble mesoporous material: Pharmacokinetic proof of concept study

Resveratrol (RSV) has powerful antioxidant activities. However, the bioavailability is still limited due to low solubility and transport issues. Nanocrystal technology has been introduced to address these issues; however, the bulky formulation of the nanocrystal process through nanosuspension faces a big challenge in terms of stability and scale-up ability. This work aimed to enhance the bioavailability of RSV through nanocrystal formulation incorporated into soluble mesoporous carriers for superior solid-state stability and feasibility. This formulation was designed and developed rationally through scientific justification in the nanocrystal formulation along with quality by design paradigm. Box-Behnken design was applied to determine the optimized formulation based on the particle size and distribution, drug loading, zeta potential, and supersaturation parameters. The nanocrystal was formed through evaporation of drug, polymer, and surfactant in the solvent incorporated into mesoporous material. The nanocrystal was evaluated by vibrational spectroscopy, thermal analyses, and SEM and TEM photographs, followed by crystallinity evaluation. The results indicated that the factors only affected the particle size variation, zeta potential, drug loading, and the time to reach the supersaturation peak level. The optimized formulation was achieved by 68 % desirability value, producing 133.3 ± 1.2 nm particle size and -24.6 mV zeta potential. The physical and chemical evaluation characterization indicated no interaction between RSV and carrier. In addition, there was no difference in crystallinity between the RSV nanocrystal and native RSV. Moreover, the RSV nanocrystal improved the bioavailability nearly twice compared to the RSV suspension.

Cellulose ether and carbopol 971 based gastroretentive controlled release formulation design, optimization and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of ondansetron hydrochloride minitablets

This study aims to design and optimize ondansetron (OND) gastro-retentive floating minitablets for better and prolonged control of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) with improved patient compliance. Minitablets were directly compressed and encapsulated in a size 2 capsule shell with an overall dose of 24 mg. Central composite design (CCD) was applied keeping one cellulose ether derivative HPMC K15M and Carbopol 971 as variable and used as swelling and rate retarding agents. The other cellulose derivative i.e. sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, along with mannitol, sodium bicarbonate, and talc, were used in fixed quantities. The floating lag time, total floating time, swelling index, in-vitro drug release, and zero-order (RSQ value), were critical quality parameters. The optimized formulation (Fpred) was evaluated for all critical parameters, along with surface morphology, thermal stability, chemical interaction, and accelerated stability. The in silico PBPK modeling was applied to compare the bioavailability of Fpred with reference OND immediate-release tablets. The numerical optimization model predicted >90 % drug release with zero-order at 12 h. In silico PBPK modeling revealed comparable relative bioavailability of Fpred with the reference formulation. The gastroretentive floating minitablets of OND were successfully designed for prolonged emesis control in patients receiving chemotherapeutic agents.

Ameliorative effect of nano-pregabalin in gastrocnemius muscle of gamma irradiated rats with an experimental model of fibromyalgia: Crosstalk of Sirt3, IL-1β and PARP1 pathways

BACKGROUND

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex syndrome with somatic symptoms connected to the operational state of muscles. Although radiotherapy is a cornerstone in cancer treatment, it is implicated in the aggravation of FM. Lately, formulation of medicines in nano-forms become of great prominence due to their prospective applications in medicine. So, this study aimed to assess possible therapeutic benefits of formulating pregabalin in a nono-form (N-PG) for managing FM during exposure to gamma radiation.

METHODS

Gamma rays administered in fractionated doses (2 Gy/day) to male rats after one hour of s.c. injection of reserpine (1 mL/kg per day) to induce FM, then treated with single daily dose of (30 mg/kg, p.o.) PG or N-PG for ten successive days. Rats were subjected to behavioral tests, then sacrificed to obtain serum and gastrocnemius muscles.

RESULTS

N-PG significantly antagonized reserpine-induced FM as proved by; the immobility and performance times in forced swim and rotarod performance tests, respectively were restored near to the normal time, serum IL-8 and MCP-1 chemokines were nearby the normal levels, mitigated oxidative stress through increasing total thiol, Sirt3, CAT enzyme and decreasing COX-1, inhibition of inflammation via IL-1β and MIF significant reduction, it possessed anti-apoptotic effect verified by decreasing PARP-1 and increasing Bcl-XL, gastrocnemius muscles had minimal fibrosis levels as seen after Masson trichrome staining. Histopathological results were coincidence with biochemical inspection.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies N-PG as a novel drug that could be of a value in the management of FM particularly in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Hot-Melt Extrusion as an Advantageous Technology to Obtain Effervescent Drug Products

Here, we assessed the feasibility of hot-melt extrusion (HME) to obtain effervescent drug products for the first time. For this, a combined mixture design was employed using paracetamol as a model drug. Extrudates were obtained under reduced torque (up to 0.3 Nm) at 100 °C to preserve the stability of the effervescent salts. Formulations showed vigorous and rapid effervescent disintegration (<3 min), adequate flow characteristics, and complete solubilization of paracetamol instantly after the effervescent reaction. Formulations containing PVPVA in the concentration range of 15–20% m/m were demonstrated to be sensitive to accelerated aging conditions, undergoing marked microstructural changes, since the capture of water led to the agglomeration and loss of their functional characteristics. HPMC matrices, in contrast, proved to be resistant to storage conditions in high relative humidity, showing superior performance to controls, including the commercial product. Moreover, the combined mixture design allowed us to identify significant interactions between the polymeric materials and the disintegrating agents, showing the formulation regions in which the responses are kept within the required levels. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that HME can bring important benefits to the elaboration of effervescent drug products, simplifying the production process and obtaining formulations with improved characteristics, such as faster disintegration, higher drug solubilization, and better stability.

Promising Swellable Floating Bupropion Tablets: Formulation, in vitro/in vivo Evaluation and Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study in Human Volunteers

Purpose

Bupropion is an antidepressant drug that facilitates weight loss. It is a highly water-soluble drug that needs multiple dosing, so it is considered a potential candidate for oral controlled-release dosage form. The aim of this research was to formulate and evaluate satiety-inducing swellable floating bupropion tablets by direct compression targeting depression associated with eating disorders. Various combinations of natural and semi-synthetic hydrogels were selected to achieve maximum swelling and remaining buoyant in the stomach. This synergistically enhances weight loss by increasing satiety.

Methods

An I-optimal mixture design was conducted to establish the optimal quantitative composition of tablets. Friability, floating lag time, swelling index after 4 and 8 hours, along with the percent of bupropion released at 1 and 8 hours were selected as dependent variables. The optimized formulation was characterized by physicochemical properties, thermal stability, and chemical interaction. In vivo radiographic evaluation of gastric residence besides, the oral bioavailability relative to marketed Wellbutrin^® sustained-release tablets were investigated using human volunteers.

Results

The optimized formulation (73.3 mg xanthan, 120 mg glucomannan, 8.4 mg tamarind kernel powder, 78.3 mg HPMC K15M) was achieved with the overall desirability equals 0.782. In vivo radiographic study showed that formulation was retained for >8 hours in the stomach. Compared with the marketed BUP tablets, the C_max was almost the same with a significant increase (p =0.004) for T_max.

Conclusion

Using combinations of these hydrogels would be promising gastroretentive delivery systems in the control of bupropion rate release with enhanced floating and swelling features.