Enhancement of anti-metastatic activity of pentoxifylline by encapsulation in conventional liposomes and sterically stabilized liposomes in murine experimental B16F10 melanoma model

Improved Oral Pharmacokinetics of Pentoxifylline with Palm Oil and Capmul® MCM Containing Self-Nano-Emulsifying Drug Delivery System

Pentoxifylline (PTX), an anti-hemorrhage drug used in the treatment of intermittent claudication, is extensively metabolized by the liver resulting in a reduction of the therapeutic levels within a short duration of time. Self-nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) is well reported to enhance the bio-absorption of drugs by forming nano-sized globules upon contact with the biological fluids after oral administration. The present study aimed to formulate, characterize, and improve the oral bioavailability of PTX using SNEDDS. The formulated SNEDDS consisted of palm oil, Capmul® MCM, and Tween® 80 as oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively. The mixture design module under the umbrella of the design of experiments was used for the optimization of SNEDDS. The dynamic light-scattering technique was used to confirm the formation of nanoemulsion based on the globule size, in addition to the turbidity measurements. In vivo bioavailability studies were carried out on male Wistar rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters upon oral administration were calculated using the GastroPlus software. The optimized SNEDDS had a mean globule size of 165 nm with minimal turbidity in an aqueous medium. Bioavailability of PTX increased 1.5-folds (AUC = 1013.30 ng h/mL) as SNEDDS than the pure drug with an AUC of 673.10 ng h/mL. In conclusion, SNEDDS was seen to enhance the bioavailability of PTX and can be explored to effectively control the incidents of intermittent claudication.

Lecithin-based novel cationic nanocarriers (LeciPlex) I: fabrication, characterization and evaluation

Aims: In the present investigation, the feasibility of fabricating novel self-assembled cationic nanocarriers (LeciPlex) containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and soybean lecithin using pharmaceutically acceptable biocompatible solvents such as 2-Pyrrolidone (Soluphor P®) and diethyleneglycol monoethyl ether (Transcutol®) was established. Materials & Methods: The interaction between DDAB/CTAB and soybean lecithin in the nanocarriers was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and in vitro antimicrobial studies. The positive charge on the nanocarriers was confirmed by zeta potential analysis. Results: Transmission electron microscopy analysis could not reveal sufficient information regarding the internal structure of the nanocarriers, whereas cryotransmission electron microscopy studies indicated that these novel nanocarriers have unilamellar structure. Small-angle neutron scattering studies confirmed interaction of cationic surfactant (DDAB) and lecithin in the nanocarriers and confirmed the presence of unilamellar nanostructures. Conclusion: Various hydrophobic drugs could be encapsulated in the CTAB/DDAB-based lecithin nanocarriers (CTAB–LeciPlex or DDAB–LeciPlex) irrespective of their difference in log p-values. In vitro antimicrobial studies on triclosan-loaded LeciPlex confirmed entrapment of triclosan in the nanocarriers. The ability of CTAB–LeciPlex and DDAB–LeciPlex to condense plasmid DNA was established using agarose gel electrophoresis. DDAB–LeciPlex could successfully transfect pDNA in HEK-293 cells indicating potential in gene delivery.

Original submitted: 20/8/2010; Revised submitted: 14/12/2010

EILDV-conjugated, etoposide-loaded biodegradable polymeric micelles directing to tumor metastatic cells overexpressing α4β1 integrin

In the present study, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) micelles loaded with etoposide (ETO) were formulated and further conjugated with pentapeptide Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val (EILDV) to target α4β1 integrin receptor overexpressed on metastatic tumor cell. Using a distinct ratio of carboxyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (HOOC-PEG-b-PCL) to methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone (CH₃O-PEG-b-PCL) polymers, we formulated a series of micellar formulations having different surface densities of EILDV and observed optimum cellular uptake of micelles with 10% EILDV surface density by B16F10 cells. The cytotoxicity of EILDV-conjugated micelles was observed close to 1.5-fold higher than plain ETO after 72 h of drug incubation, demonstrating controlled release of drug inside the cell after enhanced intracellular uptake with the ability to selectively target cancer cells. In addition, EILDV-conjugated micelles inhibited the migration of B16F10 cells effectively compared with plain ETO and non-conjugated micellar formulations when cells were treated with equivalent cytotoxic concentration of the drug, i.e., IC₂₅. B16F10 cells treated with EILDV-conjugated micelles showed a significant reduction in the attachment of cells to the substrate-coated plate compared with non-conjugated micellar formulations, implying retention of the biological activity of EILDV after coupling to micelles. Furthermore, the in vivo experimental metastasis assay conducted on C57BL/6 mice demonstrated significant activity of EIDLV-conjugated micelles in the reduction of pulmonary metastatic nodule formation in both pretreatment and post-treatment methods. In conclusion, EIDLV-conjugated micelles showed higher efficacy in the treatment of metastasis and would be a promising approach in the treatment of metastasis.

Sterically stabilized etoposide liposomes: evaluation of antimetastatic activity and its potentiation by combination with sterically stabilized pentoxifylline liposomes in mice

Cytotoxic activity of chemotherapeutic agents can be enhanced by site-specific delivery or by combination with other less toxic agents. In the present study, enhancement in the antimetastatic activity of etoposide (ETP) by encapsulation in sterically stabilized liposomes was evaluated in the murine experimental B16F10 melanoma model. Further, potentiation of its antimetastatic activity by combination with pentoxifylline (PTX) solution or sterically stabilized PTX liposomes was evaluated in the same animal model. Upon intravenous administration, ETP solution and ETP liposomes inhibited pulmonary tumor nodule formation in a dose-dependent manner. Encapsulation of ETP in liposomes resulted in significant enhancement in its antimetastatic activity at doses of 0.5 mg/kg and 0.75 mg/kg as compared to ETP solution at similar doses. In combination therapy, the effect of sequence of administration of the drugs, ETP and PTX, was evaluated. Enhancement of antimetastatic activity of ETP solution when used in combination with PTX solution was effected by the sequence in which the solutions were administered. However, a combination of ETP liposomes and PTX liposomes led to potentiation of antimetastatic activity in a sequence-independent manner. The results indicate that antimetastatic activity of ETP is significantly enhanced by encapsulation in liposomes. Administration of ETP liposomes with PTX liposomes further potentiated the activity, suggesting the usefulness of this combination in clinical practice for reducing the dose-limiting toxic effects of ETP.

Suppression of metastasis by nuclear factor kappaB inhibitors in an in vivo lung metastasis model of chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma

To evaluate the suppressive effects of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) inhibitors on metastasis, three agents, pentoxifylline (PTX, 0.5% in diet), N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, 0.5% in diet), and aspirin (ASP, 0.5% in diet) were applied in an in vivo highly metastatic rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model in F344 male rats. Administration of NF-kappaB inhibitors for 8 weeks after induction of highly metastatic HCC by sequential treatment with diethylnitrosamine and N-nitrosomorpholine did not cause any significant change in survival rate or body weight. The incidence of HCC was 100% at week 23, regardless of treatment with NF-kappaB inhibitors. PTX, NAC, and ASP did not exert any significant effect on the development or differentiation of HCCs, although PTX tended to decrease the multiplicity of HCC. Although no lung metastasis was observed in the rats killed at the end of the period of carcinogen exposure, lung metastasis was found in 100% of animals in all the groups at the end of the experiment. Multiplicity of lung metastasis was significantly decreased by PTX and NAC, whereas ASP was without significant influence. The size of metastatic nodules was also significantly reduced in the PTX treatment group. Furthermore, the inhibitory kappa-B (IkappaB) protein level, considered to be a marker for the degree of NF-kappaB transcription, was significantly suppressed by PTX. mRNA expression in HCC for vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), which is considered to play a key role in attachment of cancer cells to the endothelium, was significantly suppressed by PTX. Among the splicing variants of VEGF, VEGF-A120, VEGF-A144, VEGF-A164, and VEGF-A188, suppressed mRNA expression of VEGF-A188 appeared to be correlated with suppression of lung metastasis formation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that NF-kappaB inhibitors have the potential to inhibit lung metastasis from rat HCCs in vivo, and PTX is especially promising. Its mechanism of action may involve suppression of VCAM-1 and VEGF-A188 production.