Investigations on the Physical Structure and the Mechanism of Drug Release from an Enteric Matrix Microspheres with a Near-Zero-Order Release Kinetics Using SEM and Quantitative FTIR

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the physical structure and the release mechanisms of theophylline microspheres made of Eudragit S 100 polymer as an enteric polymer, combined with a nonerodible polymer, Eudragit RL 100. In the preparation process, polymer combinations (1:1) were dissolved in an organic solvent mixture composed of acetone and methanol at a specific ratio containing a theoretical drug loading of approximately 15%. Two microsphere formulations (LS1 and LS2) were prepared at two different total polymer concentrations (10% in LS1 and 12.7% in LS2). Dissolution studies were carried out using US Pharmacopeia Dissolution Apparatus II in an acidic medium for 8 h and in an acidic medium (2 h) followed by a slightly basic-buffered medium for 10 h. Both LS1 and LS2 microsphere formulations produced particles that were spherical in shape and had very narrow size distributions with one size fraction comprising 70–80% of the yield. Scanning electron microscopy and quantitative Fourier transform infrared were used for microsphere physical structure evaluation. Except for the absence of drug crystals, photomicrographs of both LS microspheres after dissolution in pH 1.2 and 7.2 buffer solutions were similar to those before dissolution. Dissolution results indicated the ability of LS microspheres to minimize drug release during the acid stage. However, in the slightly basic medium that followed the acidic stage, the drug release was sustained and controlled in its kinetics and data fitted to Peppas equation indicated a case II transport suggesting that the drug release is mainly through swelling/erosion mechanism.     

壳聚糖固定化木瓜蛋白酶的研究

以自制的壳聚糖作为载体,用戊二醛作交联剂,优化了固定化条件,研制成壳聚糖固定化木瓜蛋白酶。其活性回收率达到42—53％,操作半衰期达到一个月以上,对热、乙醇以及尿素的稳定性有很大的提高,Km值为0.67×10~2mg/mL,最适温度65—70℃,最适pH8.0,能使啤酒中的蛋白质浓度从56.5mg/L减少到2.7mg/L,可以消除啤酒的低温混浊现象。     

Alginate/chitosan hydrogels as perspective transport systems for cefotaxime

This work reports synthesis of pH-responsive alginate/chitosan hydrogel spheres with the average diameter of 2.0 ± 0.05 mm, which contain cefotaxime that is an antibiotic of the cefalosporine group. The spheres provided the cefotaxime encapsulation efficiency of 95 ± 1%. An in vitro release of cefotaxime from the spheres in the media that simulate human biological fluids in peroral delivery conditions was found to be a pH-dependent process. The analysis of cefotaxime release kinetics by the Korsmeyer–Peppas model revealed a non-Fickian mechanism of its diffusion, which may be related to intermolecular interactions occurring between the antibiotic and chitosan. Conductometry, UV spectroscopy, and IR spectroscopy were used to study complexation of chitosan with cefotaxime in aqueous media with varied pH, characterize the composition of the complexes, and calculate their stability constants. The composition of the cefotaxime–chitosan complexes was found to correspond to the 1.0:4.0 and 1.0:2.0 molar ratios of the components at pH 2.0 and 5.6, respectively. Quantum chemical modeling was used to evaluate energy characteristics of chitosan–cefotaxime complexation considering the influence of a solvent.     

Hernandulcin in hairy root cultures of Lippia dulcis

The hairy root culture of Lippia dulcis Trev., Verbenaceae, was established by transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. The transformed roots grew well in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 2% sucrose. The roots turned light green when they were cultured under 16 h/day light. The green hairy roots produced the sweet sesquiterpene hernandulcin (ca. 0.25 mg/g dry wt) together with 20 other mono- and sesquiterpenes, while no terpenes were detected in the nontransformed root cultures. The growth and hernandulcin production in the hairy root cultures were influenced by the addition of auxins to the medium. The addition of a low concentration of chitosan (0.2 – 10.0 mg / l) enhanced the production of hernandulcin 5-fold.Abbreviations Cht chitosan - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog(1962)     

壳聚糖护创敷料用于烧伤创面的治疗效果和安全性研究

目的:探讨壳聚糖护创敷料用于烧伤创面的治疗效果和安全性。方法:采用回顾性方法分析,选取中国人民解放军空降兵军医院烧伤科(本院)自2014年1月-2018年9月就诊的80例烧伤患者的临床资料,根据治疗方法分为对照组(40例,给予单纯紫草油覆盖创面)与研究组(40例,给予壳聚糖护创敷料覆盖创面),比较两组创面愈合时间、疼痛度、瘢痕生长及不同时期分泌物细菌培养阳性率。结果:研究组的创面愈合时间(18.45±4.64)及瘢痕生长评分(3.23±1.12)均低于对照组(22.45±5.23、5.34±1.23),均有显著差异(P0.05)。治疗后7 d、14 d、21 d研究组的创面疼痛度低于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后3 d、7 d、14 d研究组的细菌培养阳性率低于对照组(P0.05)。两组治疗期间均没有出现不良事件和严重不良事件的发生。结论:壳聚糖护创敷料用于烧伤创面患者治疗中,可缩短创面愈合时间,抑菌,减少创面愈合后的瘢痕增生,从而减轻患者疼痛,安全性高,值得临床推广应用。     

Intravital Video Microscopy Measurements of Retinal Blood Flow in Mice

Alterations in retinal blood flow can contribute to, or be a consequence of, ocular disease and visual dysfunction. Therefore, quantitation of altered perfusion can aid research into the mechanisms of retinal pathologies. Intravital video microscopy of fluorescent tracers can be used to measure vascular diameters and bloodstream velocities of the retinal vasculature, specifically the arterioles branching from the central retinal artery and of the venules leading into the central retinal vein. Blood flow rates can be calculated from the diameters and velocities, with the summation of arteriolar flow, and separately venular flow, providing values of total retinal blood flow. This paper and associated video describe the methods for applying this technique to mice, which includes 1) the preparation of the eye for intravital microscopy of the anesthetized animal, 2) the intravenous infusion of fluorescent microspheres to measure bloodstream velocity, 3) the intravenous infusion of a high molecular weight fluorescent dextran, to aid the microscopic visualization of the retinal microvasculature, 4) the use of a digital microscope camera to obtain videos of the perfused retina, and 5) the use of image processing software to analyze the video. The same techniques can be used for measuring retinal blood flow rates in rats.     

Spinning of hydroalcoholic chitosan solutions

We investigated the spinning of hydroalcoholic chitosan solutions. The dope composition was optimized in order to obtain a continuous alcogel fiber by water evaporation on heating the extruded hydroalcoholic solution. This alcogel fiber was then neutralized in aqueous alkali baths and washed in water to eliminate the residual alcohol and salts before final drying. Depending on the alcohol content in the filament at the neutralization step, on specific alcohol–chitosan interactions and on the nature and concentration of the coagulation base, the process yielded semicrystalline chitosan fibers with different proportions of anhydrous and hydrated allomorphs. Contrarily to the classical annealing method, the formation of mainly anhydrous crystals was obtained without significant molecular weight decrease by neutralizing the polymer in hydrophobic conditions. The control of allomorph content was shown to be related to the hydrophobicity of the solvent (alcohol fraction) at the neutralization step.