Bifonazole caffeate: The first molecular salt of bifonazole with enhanced biopharmaceutical property based on experiments and quantum chemistry research

In order to make novel breakthroughs in molecular salt studies of BCS class-IV antifungal medication bifonazole (BIF), a salification-driven strategy towards ameliorating attributes and aiding augment efficiency is raised. This strategy fully harnesses structural characters together attributes and benefits of caffeic acid (CAF) to concurrently enhance dissolvability and permeability of BIF by introducing the two ingredients into the identical molecular salt lattice through the salification reaction, which, coupled with the aroused potential activity of CAF significantly amplifies the antifungal efficacy of BIF. Guided by this route, the first BIF-organic molecular salt, BIF-CAF, is directionally designed and synthesized with satisfactorily structural characterizations and integrated theoretical and experimental explorations on the pharmaceutical properties. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction resolving confirms that there is a lipid-water amphiphilic sandwich structure constructed by robust charge-assistant hydrogen bonds in the salt crystal, endowing the molecular salt with the potential to enhance both dissolvability and permeability relative to the parent drug, which is validated by experimental evaluations. Remarkably, the comprehensive DFT-based theoretical investigations covering frontier molecular orbital, molecular electrostatic potential, Hirshfeld surface analysis, reduced density gradient, topology, sphericity and planarity analysis strongly support these observations, thereby allowing some positive relationships between macroscopic properties and microstructures of the molecular salt can be made. Intriguingly, the optimal properties, together with the stimulated activity of CAF markedly augment in vitro antifungal ability of the molecular salt, with magnifying inhibition zones and reducing minimum inhibitory concentrations. These findings fill in the gaps on researches of BIF-organic molecular salt, and adequately exemplify the feasibility and validity by integrating theoretical and experimental approaches to resolve BIF's problems via the salification-driven tactic.

Low cerebrospinal fluid-to-plasma ratios of orally administered lenalidomide mediated by its low cell membrane permeability in patients with hematologic malignancies

Lenalidomide is a synthetic analog of thalidomide formed by the removal of one keto group (plus the addition of an amino group); it has anti-tumor activities beneficial for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, lenalidomide distribution to brain in animal models is reportedly low compared with that of thalidomide. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of lenalidomide in three patients with malignant hematologic malignancies. Lenalidomide was detected in plasma from the three Japanese patients 1.5 h following oral administration of 20 mg lenalidomide using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, despite the in vitro gastrointestinal permeability of lenalidomide being low. Clinically observed cerebrospinal fluid-to-plasma ratios of lenalidomide were low (1.3-2.4%). Observed influx permeability values for lenalidomide in monkey blood-brain barrier model and human placental cell systems were one order of magnitude lower than those of thalidomide and another second-generation drug, pomalidomide along with a positive permeability control, caffeine. Because of the low cell-barrier permeability of lenalidomide demonstrated in in vitro assays, clinically relevant pharmacokinetic profiles of lenalidomide resulted in low penetrability from plasma into cerebrospinal fluid in patients with hematologic malignancies. Lenalidomide is conclusively suggested to expert its favorable immunomodulatory effects via systemic exposures in the patients.

Bis (2-ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate showed poor penetrability but increased the permeability of blood brain barrier: Evidences from in vitro and in vivo studies

Bis(2ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), a replacement for restricted flame retardants, has become ubiquitous in the environment. To reveal the neurotoxicity and underlying mechanism of TBPH, we first evaluated its penetrability through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) using hCMEC/D3 cells as in vitro model, and found TBPH had poor penetrability through BBB with a maximum Papp of 14.8 × 10^-6 cms^-1. Further study using transgenetic zebrafish (Tg flk1: EGFP) as in vivo model confirmed that TBPH could affect the BBB permeability, probably via affecting the transcription of genes encoding tight junction proteins. Finally, wild type zebrafish embryos/larvae were exposed to TBPH to evaluate the neurotoxicity. The neurodevelopment, neurotransmitters and locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae did not changed, which may be because TBPH can hardly cross the BBB to pose direct exposure to the central nervous system. However, the transcription of opsins genes and visual response to light stimulation in zebrafish larvae were inhibited, pointing to additional mechanism that may cause visual impairment indirectly. Above all, these results can help further understand the neurotoxicity and underlying mechanism by TBPH, and also pointed out potential risk of this chemical to aquatic organisms.

A composite System Combining Self-Targeted Carbon Dots and Thermosensitive Hydrogels for Challenging Ocular Drug Delivery

We developed a composite system combining self-targeted carbon dots and thermosensitive in situ hydrogels for ocular drug delivery of diclofenac sodium (DS). DS-CD_C-HP nanoparticles were prepared by loading DS on the surface of CD_C-HP via electrostatic interactions. An orthogonal experimental design was selected to screen the optimal thermosensitive hydrogel matrices and then DS-CD_C-HP nanoparticles were embedded to form the composite system. The physicochemical properties and release behavior of this system were characterized, and in vivo fluorescence imaging was carried out. Corneal penetrability and in vitro cellular studies (cytotoxicity, cell imaging and cell uptake) were performed to test the feasibility and potential of this ocular delivery system. Finally, the optimal gel matrix consisting of Poloxamer 407: Poloxamer 188: HPMC E50 was 21:1:1 (w/v %), and the gelation temperature before adding artificial tear fluid was 26.67°C and 34.29°C, respectively. This system has the characteristics of biphasic drug release. In addition, the corneal penetrability and in vivo fluorescence study indicated that corneal transmittance was enhanced and drug retention time was extended. Cellular studies revealed that the DS-CD_C-HP-Gel has good cytocompatibility and CD44 targeting. In summary, this composite system combines carbon dots with hydrogels, offering new potential for ocular drug delivery.

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of Sus scrofa lysozyme by N-terminal fusion of a sextuple unique homologous peptide

Sus scrofa lysozyme (SSL), an important component of the pig immune system, is a potential candidate to replace antibiotics in feed. However, there is little antimicrobial activity of natural SSL against gram-negative bacteria, which limits its application. In this study, a unique peptide (A-W-V-A-W-K) with antimicrobial activity against gram-negative bacteria was discovered and purified from trypsin hydrolysate of natural SSL. This unique peptide was fused to natural SSL and the recombinant fused SSL exhibited improved activity against gram-negative bacteria. The N-terminal fusion likely increased the membrane penetrability and induced programmed bacterial cell death. The recombinant fused SSL also showed higher activity against some gram-positive bacteria with O-acetylation. By N-terminal fusion of the sextuple peptide, the anti-microbial activity, either to gram-positive or negative bacteria, of the recombinant SSL was higher than the fusion of only one copy of the peptide. This study provides a general, feasible, and highly useful strategy to enhance the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme.

Bodily action penetrates affective perception

Fantoni & Gerbino (2014) showed that subtle postural shifts associated with reaching can have a strong hedonic impact and affect how actors experience facial expressions of emotion. Using a novel Motor Action Mood Induction Procedure (MAMIP), they found consistent congruency effects in participants who performed a facial emotion identification task after a sequence of visually-guided reaches: a face perceived as neutral in a baseline condition appeared slightly happy after comfortable actions and slightly angry after uncomfortable actions. However, skeptics about the penetrability of perception (Zeimbekis & Raftopoulos, 2015) would consider such evidence insufficient to demonstrate that observer's internal states induced by action comfort/discomfort affect perception in a top-down fashion. The action-modulated mood might have produced a back-end memory effect capable of affecting post-perceptual and decision processing, but not front-end perception. Here, we present evidence that performing a facial emotion detection (not identification) task after MAMIP exhibits systematic mood-congruent sensitivity changes, rather than response bias changes attributable to cognitive set shifts; i.e., we show that observer's internal states induced by bodily action can modulate affective perception. The detection threshold for happiness was lower after fifty comfortable than uncomfortable reaches; while the detection threshold for anger was lower after fifty uncomfortable than comfortable reaches. Action valence induced an overall sensitivity improvement in detecting subtle variations of congruent facial expressions (happiness after positive comfortable actions, anger after negative uncomfortable actions), in the absence of significant response bias shifts. Notably, both comfortable and uncomfortable reaches impact sensitivity in an approximately symmetric way relative to a baseline inaction condition. All of these constitute compelling evidence of a genuine top-down effect on perception: specifically, facial expressions of emotion are penetrable by action-induced mood. Affective priming by action valence is a candidate mechanism for the influence of observer's internal states on properties experienced as phenomenally objective and yet loaded with meaning.