Decrease in the placental transfer of chloramphenicol when administered in albumin microspheres into rats

Clarithromycin targeting to lung: characterization, size distribution and in vivo evaluation of the human serum albumin microspheres

Microspheres of clarithromycin have been prepared from human serum albumin using the emulsion polymerization technique. Albumin microspheres containing the active substance were injected into the tail vein of mice. Mice were sacrificed at intervals and microspheres collected from lungs and livers. The clarithromycin amount in microspheres was determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method from the mice organs. Morphological and histopathological observations were also reported. The microsphere accumulation began at 10 min, and increased gradually until 6 h, then a decrease was observed. The microspheres were still present after 24 h. In the liver sample, no microsphere accumulation was observed at any time.

Biotechnological developments in Turkey

Turkey is a country not usually associated with industrial biotechnology. However, when current research potential in universities and other R & D centers and particularly contributions made to the international literature since the mid-1980s are taken into account, high-quality international-level work is now commonplace, especially in areas such as industrial microbiology, enzyme technology, biomaterials and biological wastewater treatment. Work in plant biotechnology is at a relatively early stage, but is expected to become a rapidly developing force in the near future. The present article documents current potential in Turkey, based on significant publications produced during the last 8 years.

Effect of encapsulation of chloramphenicol in albumin microspheres on its in vitro transfer across the human placenta

The possibility of reducing drug transfer across the placenta was tested in two of our previous studies. The aim of those studies was to demonstrate an alternative method of drug application during pregnancy which we think would yield a dual benefit, i.e. protecting the foetus from the harmful effects of drugs while curing the mother. The present study was planned as a continuation of the testing of the same idea and we tried to see the effect of albumin microsphere encapsulation of chloramphenicol on its transfer across the human placenta in vitro. Microspheres containing chloramphenicol were prepared according to the method previously described. The mean per cent encapsulation of chloramphenicol in albumin microspheres was found to be 42 +/- 4.3 per cent (n = 5) and the mean size of the albumin microspheres was 3.08 +/- 0.6 mm. In vitro stability of the drug-carrying microspheres was measured by dialysing them at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Chloramphenicol was released from the microspheres gradually leaving about 50 per cent of the entrapped drug in the microspheres after 1.5 h. About 20 per cent of the chloramphenicol was retained in the microspheres at 24 h postincubation. The persistence of the antibacterial effect of the released chloramphenicol is confirmed by antibiogramme tests. In the perfusions the initial free drug concentration was kept at 100 mg/ml.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)