Evaluation of Tadalafil Nanosuspensions and Their PEG Solid Dispersion Matrices for Enhancing Its Dissolution Properties

The aim of this work was to prepare and evaluate Tadalafil nanosuspensions and their PEG 4000 solid dispersion matrices to enhance its dissolution rate. Nanosuspensions were prepared by precipitation/ultrasonication technique at 5°C where different stabilizers were screened for stabilization. Nanosuspensions were characterized in terms of particle size and charge. Screening process limited suitable stabilizers into structurally related surfactants composed of a mixture of Tween80 and Span80 at 1:1 ratio (in percent, weight/volume) in adjusted alkaline pH (named TDTSp-OH). The surfactant mixture aided the production of nanosuspensions with an average particle size of 193 ± 8 nm and with short-term stability sufficient for further processing. Solid dispersion matrices made of dried Tadalafil nanosuspensions or dried Tadalafil raw powder suspensions and PEG 4000 as a carrier were prepared by direct compression. Drying was performed via dry heat or via freeze dry. Drug release studies showed that, in general, tablet formulations made of freeze-dried product exhibited faster initial release rates than the corresponding tablets made of oven-dried products which could be attributed to possible larger crystal growth and larger crushing strengths of oven-dried formulations. At best, 60% of drug was released from solid dispersion matrices, while more than 90% of drug was released from TDTSp-OH nanosuspension within the first 5 min. In conclusion, Tadalafil nanosuspensions obtained using a mixed surfactant system provided rapid dissolution rates of Tadalafil that can theoretically enhance its bioavailability.KEY WORDS: nanosuspension, particle size, solid dispersion, stabilizer, tablets, Tadalafil     

Preventing Temperature Rise during the Mechanical Breakage of Micro-Organisms

S ummary : Experiments have shown that there is a considerable increase in temperature during the mechanical breakage of micro-organisms when using a Mickle tissue disintegrator and a vibratory ball mill. Simple enclosures containing solid CO₂ are described by means of which rise in temperature during treatment may be prevented.     

An Improved and Efficient Process for the Preparation of (+)‐cloprostenol

An improved and efficient synthesis of (+)‐cloprostenol has been accomplished in nine steps and 26% overall yield from commercially available (–)‐Corey lactone 4‐phenylbenzoate alcohol 1 . The present route avoids tedious purifications and requires only one column chromatography operation, which reduces the generation of waste and is suitable for large‐scale preparation. Chirality 27:392–396, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enhancing the Regeneration Process of Consumed NaBH4 for Hydrogen Storage

Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) is regarded as an excellent hydrogen‐generated material, but its irreversibility of hydrolysis and high cost of regeneration restrict its large‐scale application. In this study a convenient and economical method for NaBH₄ regeneration is developed for the first time without hydrides used as starting materials for the reduction process. The real hydrolysis by‐products (NaBO₂ · 2H₂O and NaBO₂ · 4H₂O), instead of dehydrated sodium metaborate (NaBO₂), are applied for the regeneration of NaBH₄ with Mg at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the troublesome heat‐wasting process to obtain NaBO₂ using a drying procedure at over 350 °C from NaBO₂ · xH₂O is omitted. Moreover, the highest regeneration yields of NaBH₄ are achieved to date with 68.55% and 64.06% from reaction with NaBO₂ · 2H₂O and NaBO₂ · 4H₂O, respectively. The cost of NaBH₄ regeneration shows a 34‐fold reduction compared to the previous study that uses MgH₂ as the reduction agent, where H₂ is obtained from a separate process. Furthermore, the regeneration mechanism of NaBH₄ is clarified and the intermediate compound, NaBH₃(OH), is successfully observed for the first time during the regeneration process.     

肝炎治疗药苦参碱葡萄糖注射液的研制

为研制供临床直接使用的大容量苦参碱葡萄糖注射液,采用苦参碱浓配,葡萄糖先浓配除热原、后稀配混合苦参碱溶液、精滤、灌封、灭菌等制得苦参碱葡萄糖注射液,并建立质量标准。结果表明：试制3批样品均符合质量标准要求,稳定性考察未见明显变化。研制的苦参碱葡萄糖注射液处方及工艺合理可行、质量标准可控、稳定性良好。     

糖化酶生产菌株种子制备工艺优化

目的：缩短糖化酶工业生产菌株黑曲霉A.nigerCICIM GB0506的种子制备周期。方法：对该菌的活化培养基配方及种子制备方式进行改良,并通过L9（3^4）正交试验对其液体培养方法进行优化。结果：在固体活化培养基中添加0.2%的酵母粉及1%的玉米淀粉,有利于加速菌体生长;加入40粒,粒径3-4mm的玻璃珠130r/min,摇床培养可以获得更为分散、均一的种子液;液体种子制备的较优条件为初始pH4.5,装液量90mL,琼脂加量0.1%,培养天数5d。结论：新的制备工艺使糖化酶种子制备时间较现在工业生产上使用的工艺缩短了4d,进行后续糖化酶摇瓶发酵产酶水平是原工艺的1.18倍。     

费氏链霉菌HTP6分批发酵动力学

对费氏链霉菌HTP6产新霉素的分批发酵动力学进行了研究, 并建立了动力学模型。对数生长期最大比生长速率μm为0.0866 h-1, 产物合成期最大合成速率qp为1.1867×10-4 g/(mL×h)。对实验数据与模型模拟值进行拟合检验, 表现出很好的适用性, 实验平均相对偏差小于5%。表明该动力学模型对费氏链霉菌产新霉素的发酵生产具有实际意义。     

Modulating Drug Release and Enhancing the Oral Bioavailability of Torcetrapib with Solid Lipid Dispersion Formulations

The development of drug dispersions using solid lipids is a novel formulation strategy that can help address the challenges of poor drug solubility and systemic exposure after oral administration. The highly lipophilic and poorly water-soluble drug torcetrapib could be effectively formulated into solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) using an anti-solvent precipitation strategy. Acoustic milling was subsequently used to obtain solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). Torcetrapib was successfully incorporated into the lipid matrix in an amorphous state. Spherical SLMs with mean particle size of approximately 15–18 μm were produced with high drug encapsulation efficiency (>96%) while SLNs were produced with a mean particle size of 155 nm and excellent colloidal stability. The in vitro drug release and the in vivo absorption of the solid lipid micro- and nanoparticles after oral dosing in rats were evaluated against conventional crystalline drug powders as well as a spray dried amorphous polymer dispersion formulation. Interestingly, the in vitro drug release rate from the lipid particles could be tuned for immediate or extended release by controlling either the particle size or the precipitation temperature used when forming the drug-lipid particles. This change in the rate of drug release was manifested in vivo with changes in Tmax as well. In addition, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed a significant increase (∼6 to 11-fold) in oral bioavailability in rats dosed with the SLMs and SLNs compared to conventional drug powders. Importantly, this formulation approach can be performed rapidly on a small scale, making it ideal as a formulation technology for use early in the drug discovery timeframe.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1208/s12249-015-0299-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.KEY WORDS: anti-solvent precipitation, controlled release, formulation, nanoparticles, solid lipid     

Preparation and Characterization of Highly Porous Direct Compression Carrier Particles with Improved Drug Loading During an Interactive Mixing Process

The aim of this study was to prepare highly porous carrier particles by emulsion solvent evaporation and compare the loading capacity of these beads with two traditional carriers, sugar beads, and microcrystalline cellulose granules during an interactive mixing process. The porous carrier particles were prepared by an emulsion solvent evaporation process using cellulose propionate as a binder, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, and ion exchange resins as a fillers, and polyethylene glycol as a pore inducer. Micronized furosemide or griseofulvin powder was mixed with the same volume of each carrier in an interactive mixing process. The tableting properties, drug loading per unit volume of carrier, content uniformity of the mixtures, and dissolution of the drugs from the mixtures were measured. The results showed that highly porous microcapsules with desirable hardness equivalent to that of sugar beads and MCC granules were successfully prepared. On average the loading capacity of the new carrier was 310% that of sugar beads and 320% that of MCC granules during an interactive mixing process with very good content uniformity. The tableting properties of the microcapsules were equivalent to that of microcrystalline cellulose granules, and the dissolution of the drugs from interactive mixtures prepared with the new carrier was equivalent to that of drug suspensions. This showed that the prepared microcapsule carrier could be used to improve the loading capacity during an interactive mixing and to prepare tablets by direct compression.     

Kinetics of the dichroic reorientation of phytochrome during photoconversion inMougeotia

In the green algaMougeotia, the dichroic orientation of the red-absorbing form of phytochrome (P_r) is parallel of the cell surface, whereas the far-red-absorbing form (P_fr) is oriented normal to it. The time course of the change from parallel to normal was investigated by double-flash irradiation with polarized red and far-red light. The results obtained by two different methods indicate that most of the phytochrome intermediates existing in the first 5 ms after the inducing red flash are still oriented parallel to the cell surface, similar to P_r. At increasing intervals between the red and the far-red flashes, more and more phytochrome molecules turn their transition moments to the P_fr orientation. This reaction is finished after approximately 30 ms. We conclude that the change in dichroic orientation of the phytochrome molecules inMougeotia occurs during the last relaxation steps of the intermediates on the way from P_r to P_fr. It cannot be decided yet, whether the first surface-normal phytochrome species is an intermediate or P_fr itself.Abbreviations P_r red-absorbing form of phytochrome - P_fr far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome A preliminary report of this work was presented at the European Symposium on Photomorphogenesis, University of Reading, UK (Kraml et al. 1982)     

Kinetics of chemical reactions for quality prediction of canned fish during storage

Changes in a wide range of quality characteristics of canned fish were studied during storage at different temperatures. A number of biochemical parameters were found, which undergo significant monotonic changes in the course of storage, correlating with organoleptic scores. It was demonstrated that simulation of thermal aging of canned fish, based on the laws of chemical kinetics, may be used for predicting quality changes and determining the shelf life.