Cyclodextrin encapsulation enabling the anticancer repositioning of disulfiram: Preparation, analytical and in vitro biological characterization of the inclusion complexes

Drug repositioning is a high-priority and feasible strategy in the field of oncology research, where the unmet medical needs are continuously unbalanced. Disulfiram is a potential non-chemotherapeutic, adjuvant anticancer agent. However, the clinical translation is limited by the drug's poor bioavailability. Therefore, the molecular encapsulation of disulfiram with cyclodextrins is evaluated to enhance the solubility and stability of the drug. The present work describes for the first time the complexation of disulfiram with randomly methylated-β-cyclodextrin. A parallel analytical andin vitrobiological comparison of disulfiram inclusion complexes with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, randomly methylated-β-cyclodextrin and sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin is conducted. A significant drug solubility enhancement by about 1000-folds and fast dissolution in 1 min is demonstrated. Thein vitrodissolution-permeation studies and proliferation assays demonstrate the solubility-dependent efficacy of the drug. Throughout the different cancer cell lines' characteristics and disulfiram unspecific antitumoral activity, the inhibitory efficacy of the cyclodextrin encapsulated drug on melanoma (IC50 about 100 nM) and on glioblastoma (IC50 about 7000 nM) cell lines differ by a magnitude. This pre-formulation screening experiment serves as a proof of concept of using cyclodextrin encapsulation as a platform tool for further drug delivery development in repositioning areas.

Chiral Separation of Apremilast by Capillary Electrophoresis Using Succinyl-β-Cyclodextrin-Reversal of Enantiomer Elution Order by Cationic Capillary Coating

A stereospecific capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the separation of the novel, antipsoriatic agent, apremilast (APR). Six anionic cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives were screened for their ability to discriminate between the uncharged enantiomers. Only succinyl-β-CD (Succ-β-CD) presented chiral interactions; however, the enantiomer migration order (EMO) was unfavorable, and the eutomer, S-APR, migrated faster. Despite the optimization of all possible parameters (pH, cyclodextrin concentration, temperature, and degree of substitution of CD), the method was unsuccessful for purity control due to the low resolution and the unfavorable enantiomer migration order. Changing the direction of electroosmotic flow (EOF) by the dynamic coating of the inner surface of the capillary with poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride or polybrene resulted in EMO reversal, and the developed method could be applied for the determination of R-APR as the enantiomeric purity. Thus, the application of the dynamic capillary coating offers a general opportunity for enantiomeric migration order reversal in particular cases when the chiral selector is a weak acid.

Clinical, pharmacological, and formulation evaluation of disulfiram in the treatment of glioblastoma - a systematic literature review

INTRODUCTION

Glioblastoma (GB) is one of the most challenging central nervous system (CNS) tumors in treatment options and response, urging the development of novel management strategies. The anti-alcoholism drug, disulfiram (DS), has a potential anticancer activity, and its complex mechanism of action is assumed to be well exploited against the heterogeneous GB.

AREA COVERED

Through a systematic literature review about repositioning DS to GB treatment, an evaluation of the clinical, pharmacological, and formulation strategies is provided to specify the challenges of drug delivery and thus to advance its clinical translation. From six databases, 35 articles were selected, including case report (1); clinical trials (3); original articles mainly representing in vitro and preclinical pharmacological data, and 10 dealing with technological approaches.

EXPERT OPINION

The repositioning of DS in GB treatment is facing drug and tumor-associated limitations due to the oral drug's low bioavailability, unwanted metabolism, and inefficient delivery to brain-tumor tissue. Development strategies using molecular encapsulation of DS and the parenteral dosage forms improve the anticancer pharmacology of the drug. The development of optimized drug delivery systems (DDS) shows promise for the clinical translation of DS into GB adjuvant therapy.