• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2009

Docetaxel is an anticancer agent with low aqueous solubility. More extensive clinical use of this drug is somewhat delayed due to lack of appropriate delivery vehicles. An attempt was made to adopt an o/w emulsion as the drug carrier which incorporated docetaxel in the propyleneglycerol stabilized by a mixed-emulsifier system. A suitable formulation was found in this study: 10 mg/mL docetaxel, 10% (w/v) oil blend, 4% (w/v) PG, 3% (w/v) Solutol HS 15 in 2.25% (w/v) glycerol solution. The formulated emulsion has very good stability when stored at $40^{\cird}C$, and the docetaxel containment efficiency can be maintained above 95% and the mean emulsion diameter around $10{\mu}m$ for at least 3 months. The formulated emulsion is a promising carrier for docetaxel and other lipophilic drugs.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.319-322
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• 2003

Many studies have been attempted to overcome the problems of paclitaxel related to the extremely low aqueous solubility of paclitaxel and the unexpected side-effects caused by $Cremophor^{\circledR}$ EL in a commercial paclitaxel formulation, $Taxol^{\circledR}$. In order to formulate a new delivery system suitable for intravenous administration without toxic excipients, in this study, paclitaxel was incorporated into solid lipid nanoparticles (Px-SLN) by hot homogenization technique using a microfluidizer. Particle size and zeta potential were measured by a Zetasizer. In vitro drug release experiment was performed by a dialysis diffusion method. Each Px-SLN or $Taxol^{\circledR}$ was intravenously administered to the male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg as paclitaxel. Blood samples were deproteinated with acetonitrile and assayed for paclitaxel by the validated HPLC/MS/MS method. Mean particle size and zeta potential were measured as 72.1 nm (< Polydispersity 0.3) and -41.5 mV, respectively. The content of paclitaxel in SLN was 1.42 mg/ml and the drug loading efficiency was $71.2{\pm}4.3%$. The $AUC_t$ of Px-SLN was 3.4-fold greater than that of $Taxol^{\circledR}$. The Px-SLN might be a promising candidate for an alternative formulation for the parenteral delivery of paclitaxel.

• CELLMED
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.7
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• 2021

In situ gelling devices, as they enter the body, are dosage forms in the shape of the sol but turn into gel types under physiological circumstances. Transition from sol to gel is contingent on one or a mixture of diverse stimuli, such as transition of pH control of temperature, irradiation by UV, by the occurrence of certain ions or molecules. Such characteristic features may be commonly employed in drug delivery systems for the production of bioactive molecules for continuous delivery vehicles. The technique of in situ gelling has been shown to be impactful in enhancing the potency of local or systemic drugs supplied by non-parenteral pathways, increasing their period of residence at the absorption site. Formulation efficacy is further improved with the use of mucoadhesive agents or the use of polymers with both in situ gelling properties and the ability to bind with the mucosa/mucus. The most popular and common approach in recent years has provided by the use of polymers with different in situ gelation mechanisms for synergistic action between polymers in the same formulation. In situ gelling medicine systems in recent decades have received considerable interest. Until administration, it is in a sol-zone and is able to form gels in response to various endogenous factors, for e.g elevated temperature, pH changes and ions. Such systems can be used in various ways for local or systemic supply of drugs and successfully also as vehicles for drug-induced nano- and micro-particles. In this review we will discuss about various aspects about use of these in situ gels as novel drug delivery systems.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.201-205
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• 2009

Triglyceride solid lipid with medium chain fatty acid, tricaprin (TC), was used as a core matrix of lipid nanoparticles (LN) to solubilize water-insoluble paclitaxel and enhance the stability of nanoparticles by immobilization of incorporated drug in the solid core during storage at low temperature. In the present study, TC-LN containing paclitaxel was prepared by hot melt homogenization method using TC as a core lipid and phospholipids as stabilizers. The particle size of TC-LN containing paclitaxel was less than 200 nm and its zeta potential was around -40 mV. Calorimetric analysis showed TC core could be solidified by freezing and thawing in the manufacturing process in which the hot dispersion should be prepared at elevated temperature and subsequently cooled to obtain solid lipid nanoparticles. The melting transition of TC core was observed at $27.5^{\circ}C$, which was lower than melting point of TC bulk. The particle size of TC-LN remained unchanged when kept at $4^{\circ}C$. Paclitaxel containing TC-LN showed comparable anticancer activity to the Cremophore ELbased paclitaxel formulation against human ovarian (OVCAR-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines. Thus, lipid nanoparticles with medium chain solid lipid may have a potential as alternative delivery system for parenteral administration of paclitaxel.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2006

To demonstrate the effect of formulation conditions and evaluations of structural integrity from ovalbumin containing poly lactide glycolide copolymer (PLGA) microspheres for Vaccine delivery, OVA microspheres were prepared by a W/O/W multiple emulsion solvent extraction technique. Dichloromethan (DCM) and Ethyl acetate (EA) were applied as an organic phase and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a secondary emulsion stabilizer. Microspheres were characterized for particle size, morphology (optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)). Protein denaturation was evaluated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing (IEF). Residual organic solvent was estimated by gas chromatography (GC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Optical photomicrograph and SEM revealed that micro spheres were typically spherical but various morphologies were observed. Mean particle size $(d_{vs})$ of microspheres were in the range of $3{\sim}50{\mu}m$. Also, The protein stability was not affected by the fonnulation process and residual organic solvent was beyond the detection below 0.1ppm. These results demonstrated that micro spheres might be a good candidate for the parenteral vaccine delivery system.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.13-17
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• 2019

Amiodarone hydrochloride is an antiarrhythmic agent which has low aqueous solubility and presents bioavailability problem. These properties are a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. Inclusion of lipophilic compound in the hydrophobic core of micelles, i.e. self-assembled structures based on surfactants in aqueous solution, is one way of increasing the solubility. Intravenous formulation of amiodarone hydrochloride with polysorbate 80 as a detergent and benzyl alcohol as a co-solvent is used in medical practice. This paper aimed to study the effect of polysorbate 80 and benzyl alcohol on the water solubility of amiodarone hydrochloride. Formation of mixed micelles consisting of nonionic surfactant polysorbate 80 and cationic amiodarone with chloride counterion was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Benzyl alcohol was found to decrease the stability of the mixed micelles and lead to crystallization of amiodarone hydrochloride. The greatest amounts of crystals formed at 4℃ for 30 days in the model drug solutions with polysorbate 80 concentrations of 100.1 mg/mL and 97.9 mg/mL. A change of the polysorbate 80 concentration and avoidance the use of benzyl alcohol are recommended to improve the stability of the parenteral dosage form. These results can open new perspectives in the optimization of amiodarone intravenous formulations.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.572-584
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• 2002

Rapid development in molecular biology and recent advancement in recombinant technology increase identification and commercialization of potential protein drugs. Traditional forms of administrations for the peptide and protein drugs often rely on their parenteral injection, since the bioavailability of these therapeutic agents is poor when administered nonparenterally. Tremendous efforts by numerous investigators in the world have been put to improve protein formulations and as a result, a few successful formulations have been developed including sustained-release human growth hormone. For a promising protein delivery technology, efficacy and safety are the first requirement to meet. However, these systems still require periodic injection and increase the incidence of patient compliance. The development of an oral dosage form that improves the absorption of peptide and especially protein drugs is the most desirable formulation but one of the greatest challenges in the pharmaceutical field. The major barriers to developing oral formulations for peptides and proteins are metabolic enzymes and impermeable mucosal tissues in the intestine. Furthermore, chemical and conformational instability of protein drugs is not a small issue in protein pharmaceuticals. Conventional pharmaceutical approaches to address these barriers, which have been successful with traditional organic drug molecules, have not been effective for peptide and protein formulations. It is likely that effective oral formulations for peptides and proteins will remain highly compound specific. A number of innovative oral drug delivery approaches have been recently developed, including the drug entrapment within small vesicles or their passage through the intestinal paracellular pathway. This review provides a summary of the novel approaches currently in progress in the protein oral delivery followed by factors affecting protein oral absorption.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.359-366
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• 2009

In this study, paclitaxel-loaded lipid nanosuspension (PxLN) was prepared and the in vivo profiles after intravenous administration in rats were investigated. We compared the manufacturing processes depending on the temperature: PxLN-H for a hot homogenization process and PxLN-C for solidification of lipid-drug mixtures by liquid nitrogen. Both formulations showed submicron size distribution and the similar drug loading efficiency of about 70%. In vitro release of PxLNs and Taxol$^{(R)}$ performed by a dialysis diffusion method showed similar pattern for PxLN-H and Taxol$^{(R)}$, but the reduced release profile for PxLN-C. PxLN or Taxol$^{(R)}$ was intravenously administered to the rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg as paclitaxel. The drug in blood samples were assayed by the HPLC/MS/MS method. The AUC$_t$ of PxLN-H was 3.4-fold greater than that of Taxol$^{(R)}$. PxLN-H gave higher biodistribution in all tissues than did Taxol$^{(R)}$. In addition, it maintained the higher drug concentration for 12 h. This lipid nanosuspension might be a promising candidate for an alternative formulation for the parenteral delivery of poorly water-soluble paclitaxel.