The stability of quetiapine oral suspension compounded from commercially available tablets

Stability and biological activity enhancement of fucoxanthin through encapsulation in alginate/chitosan nanoparticles

A response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken design was employed to develop fucoxanthin (FX) delivery nanocarrier from alginate (ALG) and chitosan (CS). The FX-loaded ALG/CS nanoparticles (FX-ALG/CS-NPs) were fabricated using oil-in-water emulsification and ionic gelation. The optimal formulation consisted of an ALG:CS mass ratio of 0.015:1, 0.71 % w/v Tween™ 80, and 5 mg/mL FX concentrations. The resulting FX-ALG/CS-NPs had a size of 227 ± 23 nm, a zeta potential of 35.3 ± 1.7 mV, and an encapsulation efficiency of 81.2 ± 2.8 %. These nanoparticles exhibited enhanced stability under simulated environmental conditions and controlled FX release in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Furthermore, FX-ALG/CS-NPs showed increased in vitro oral bioaccessibility, gastrointestinal stability, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effect, and cytotoxicity against various cancer cells. The findings suggest that ALG/CS-NPs are effective nanocarriers for the delivery of FX in nutraceuticals, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals.

Quetiapine Fumarate: A Review of Analytical Methods

Atypical antipsychotics are newer second-generation antipsychotics with weak dopamine type 2 blocking but potent 5-HT2 antagonistic activity. They are considered first-line treatments for schizophrenia and gradually replace typical antipsychotics. Extrapyramidal side effects are minimal, and they tend to improve impaired cognitive function in psychotics. Quetiapine fumarate is an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia, mania and depression in people with bipolar disorder combined with other drugs or alone. Quetiapine was developed in 1985 and approved for medical use in the USA in 1997. Thorough computer-aided literature, surveys revealed that numerous analytical methods were reported over the years. The present study reviews analytical methods with their validation parameters published during the last 22 years (1999-2021) either as a single entity or combination in dosage form, and determination from biological samples. Novel strategies for increasing separation quality, such as QbD analysis and green spectroscopy, were discovered during the evaluation, and this review can be utilized for further research reference.

Quetiapine Albumin Nanoparticles as an Efficacious Platform for Brain Deposition and Potentially Improved Antipsychotic Activity

Quetiapine (QP) is a second-generation short-acting antipsychotic drug extensively metabolized in the liver, producing pharmacologically inactive metabolites and leading to diminished bioavailability. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an intravenous QP albumin nanoparticles (NPs) system for improving QP antipsychotic activity and brain targeting. QP-loaded albumin NPs were prepared by the desolvation method. The fabricated NPs were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE%), and in vitro drug release. In vivo pharmacokinetics and biodistribution in rats were studied. In addition, the antipsychotic activity of the optimized platform was also investigated. Human serum albumin (HSA) concentration, pH, and stirring time were modulated to optimize QP albumin NPs with a particle size of 103.54 ± 2.36 nm and a QP EE% of 96.32 ± 3.98%. In addition, the intravenous administration of QP albumin NPs facilitated QP brain targeting with a 4.9-fold increase in targeting efficiency compared to the oral QP solution. The QP albumin NPs improved the QP antipsychotic activity, indicated by suppressing rats' hypermobility and reducing the QP's extrapyramidal side effects. The obtained results proposed that intravenous QP- NPs could improve QP brain targeting and its antipsychotic efficiency.

Development of an Oral Liquid Formulation of Nicardipine Hydrochloride Compounded with Simple Excipients for the Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension

Nicardipine hydrochloride is an anti-hypertensive drug that is used off-label to treat hypertension in children. A previous oral formulation of nicardipine hydrochloride was developed using a commercial vehicle as an excipient. However, ready-to-use vehicles are prone to supply shortages, and their composition may undergo substantial modifications. The aim of this study was to propose a new oral formulation of nicardipine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL using simple excipients. The formulation included hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, simple syrup, polysorbate 80, sodium saccharin, citrate buffer, strawberry flavor and 0.2% potassium sorbate. The uniformity of content was maintained before and after agitation. Nicardipine hydrochloride concentration assessed by HPLC-MS/MS remained above 90% for 365 days before opening and for 28 days after opening. pH and osmolality were maintained throughout the study, and no microbial contamination was observed. The uniformity of mass of the delivered doses was evaluated using four different devices. A new oral formulation of nicardipine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL was developed using simple and safe excipients. Pharmacological and clinical parameters remain to be assessed and compared with those of the previous formulation.

Semisolid Extrusion 3D Printing of Propranolol Hydrochloride Gummy Chewable Tablets: an Innovative Approach to Prepare Personalized Medicine for Pediatrics

The demand for personalized medicine has received extensive attention, especially in pediatric preparations. An emerging technology, extrusion-based 3D printing, is highly attractive in the field of personalized medicine. In this study, we prepared propranolol hydrochloride (PR) gummy chewable tablets tailored for children by semisolid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing technology to meet personalized medicine needs in pediatrics. In this study, the effects of critical formulation variables on the rheological properties and printability of gum materials were investigated by constructing a full-factorial design. In addition, the masticatory properties, thermal stability, and disintegration time of the preparations were evaluated. Bitterness inhibitors were used to mask the bitterness of the preparations. The results of the full-factorial design showed that the amount of gelatin and carrageenan were the key factors in the formulation. Gelatin can improve printability and masticatory properties, carrageenan can improve thermal stability, and accelerate the disintegration of preparations; therefore, a reasonable combination of both could satisfactorily meet the demand for high-quality 3D printing. γ-Aminobutyric acid can reduce the bitterness of gummy chewable tablets to improve medication compliance and the determined formulation (F7) met the quality requirements. In conclusion, the gum material has excellent potential as an extrusion material for 3D printing. The dosage can be adjusted flexibly by the model shape and size. 3D printing has broad prospects in pediatric preparations.

A Comprehensive Investigation of Interactions between Antipsychotic Drug Quetiapine and Human Serum Albumin Using Multi-Spectroscopic, Biochemical, and Molecular Modeling Approaches

Quetiapine (QTP) is a short-acting atypical antipsychotic drug that treats schizophrenia or manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Human serum albumin (HSA) is an essential transport protein that transports hormones and various other ligands to their intended site of action. The interactions of QTP with HSA and their binding mechanism in the HSA-QTP system was studied using spectroscopic and molecular docking techniques. The UV-Vis absorption study shows hyperchromicity in the spectra of HSA on the addition of QTP, suggesting the complex formation and interactions between QTP and HSA. The results of intrinsic fluorescence indicate that QTP quenched the fluorescence of HSA and confirmed the complex formation between HSA and QTP, and this quenching mechanism was a static one. Thermodynamic analysis of the HSA-QTP system confirms the involvement of hydrophobic forces, and this complex formation is spontaneous. The competitive displacement and molecular docking experiments demonstrated that QTP is preferentially bound to HSA subdomain IB. Furthermore, the CD experiment results showed conformational changes in the HSA-QTP system. Besides this, the addition of QTP does not affect the esterase-like activity of HSA. This study will help further understand the credible mechanism of transport and delivery of QTP via HSA and design new QTP-based derivatives with greater efficacy.

Design and optimization of pH-sensitive Eudragit nanoparticles for improved oral delivery of triclabendazole

Design of Experiments (DoE) techniques were used to identify and optimize the parameters involved in the formulation of triclabendazole pH-sensitive Eudragit® nanoparticles (NPs). Using a Placket Burmann design, Eudragit® E, Eudragit® RS, and two stabilizers (PVP and PVA) were evaluated for NPs formulation by nanoprecipitation. Based on the screening results, Eudragit E 100® and PVP were selected as excipients, and their levels were studied and optimized using a central composite design, obtaining an optimum nanoparticulated system with a Size of 240 nm, a PDI of 0.420, and a ZP of 46.3 mV. Finally, a full characterization of the optimum system was carried out by XRD, DSC, equilibrium solubility, and dissolution rate in biorelevant mediums. As observed in XRD and DSC, the nanoencapsulation process produced a remarkable reduction in drug crystallinity that improved drug solubility and dissolution rate. Although more than 90% of TCBZ was dissolved in acidic mediums at 10 minutes, no increase in solubility or dissolution rate was observed in simulated saliva. Consequently, the development of pH-sensitive Eudragit® NPs would be a promising strategy in developing an immediate gastric release TCBZ formulation for oral delivery.