Interaction of double-chained cationic surfactants, dimethyldialkylammoniums, with erythrocyte membranes: stabilization of the cationic vesicles by phosphatidylcholines with unsaturated fatty acyl chains

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay for simultaneous determination of two antimalarial thiazolium compounds in human and rat matrices

A new class of antimalarial drugs targeting phospholipid metabolism of the malarial parasite is now in development. In the strategy of this development, two mono-thiazolium salts, T1 and T2, need to be monitored. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method has been developed and validated according to FDA guidelines for simultaneous determination of T1 and T2 in plasma, whole blood and red blood cells (RBCs) from human and rat. The sample-pre-treatment procedure involved solid phase extraction after protein precipitation. Chromatography was carried out on a Zorbax eclipse XDB C8 column and mass spectrometric analysis was performed using an Agilent 1,100 quadrupole mass spectrometer working with an electrospray ionization source. LC-MS data were acquired in single ion monitoring mode at m/z 312, 326 and 227 for T1, T2 and the internal standard (T3), respectively. The drug/internal standard peak area ratios were linked via a quadratic relationship to concentrations (human and rat plasma: 2.25-900 microg/l; human blood and rat RBCs: 4.5-900 microg/kg). Precision was below 14.5% for T1 and below 13% for T2. Accuracy was 92.6-111% for T1 and 95.6-108% for T2. Extraction recoveries were >or=85% in plasma and >or=53% in blood and RBCs. For T1 and T2, the lower limits of quantitation were 2.25 microg/l in plasma, and 4.5 microg/kg in whole blood and RBCs. Stability tests under various conditions were also investigated. This highly specific and sensitive method was useful to analyse samples from pharmacokinetic studies carried out in rat and would also be useful in clinical trials at a later stage.

Enhanced Delivery of Retinoic Acid to Skin by Cationic Liposomes

We studied the delivery of retinoic acid to skin by using cationic liposomes consisting of double-chained cationic surfactant, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and retinoic acid in excised guinea pig dorsal skin. Egg yolk PC liposomes contaning retinoic acid at a molar ratio of 4 : 1 increased the delivery of retinoic acid about two-fold, compared with its addition as an isopropyl myristate solution. Cationic liposomes containing 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) further enhanced the incorporation dependent on the DOTAP content. Liposomes consisting of DOTAP, egg yolk PC, and retinoic acid at a molar ratio of 2 : 2 : 1 induced a 3.7-fold increase in the skin incorporation compared with the egg yolk PC liposomes without DOTAP. Significant difference was not observed when either dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was used instead of egg yolk PC as well as when dimethyldipalmitylammonium was used instead of DOTAP. These results suggest the potential of the use of the cationic liposomes for the intradermal delivery of lipophilic drugs like retinoic acid.

Cationic Vesicles Consisting of 1,2-Dioleoyl-3-Trimethylammonium Propane (DOTAP) and Phosphatidylcholines and Their Interaction with Erythrocyte Membrane

We studied the formation and stability of vesicles consisting of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) and phosphatidylcholines by electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis and observation of their hemolytic activities. In contrast with previous findings on dimethyldialkylammoniums, DOTAP formed vesicles at 37 degrees C with phosphatidylcholines containing either saturated acyl chains such as dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or unsaturated acyl chains such as dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC). Phosphatidylcholines made the bilayer more rigid and significantly reduced the hemolytic activity of DOTAP. In the presence of equimolar concentration of DOTAP and phosphatidylcholines, formation of tightly aggregated structures of several erythrocytes was observed, as previously reported for the vesicles containing dimethyldipalmitylammonium. These findings indicate that DOTAP vesicles were stabilized by phosphatidylcholines with either saturated acyl chains or unsaturated acyl chains, and the interaction with the lipid bilayer of biological membranes as cationic vesicles became prominent with minimal membrane damage by DOTAP monomers.

Enhancement effects of double-chained cationic surfactants of n-dimethyldialkylammoniums on permeability of salicylate through guinea pig dorsal skin

We examined the enhancement effects of the double-chained cationic surfactants of n-dimethyldialkylammoniums (CH(3))(2)N(+)(C(n)H(2n+1))(2) on the permeation of anionic salicylate through excised guinea pig dorsal skin at pH 7.4. Among them, n-dimethyldidecylammonium (2C10), which seemed to form micelles, had dose-dependent enhancement effects at concentrations of more than 0.1 mM, and about a ninety-fold increase in the permeability coefficient of salicylate was observed at 2 mM. The enhancement effect of 2C10 was larger than those of single-chained cationic surfactants of n-alkyltrimethylammoniums. n-Dimethyldilaurylammonium (2C12), which seemed to form bilayer vesicles, induced about a twenty five-fold increase in the permeability coefficient. The enhancement effects of n-dimethyldialkylammoniums decreased with the increase in their alkyl chain lengths. In contrast, only slight stimulation by these cationic surfactants was observed for silicon rubber membrane permeation of salicylate. Analysis of the retention of the salicylate in the skin suggested that the double-chained cationic surfactants-induced increase in the transfer of salicylate to the skin is the main reason for the marked stimulation of the skin permeation.