Interaction of antimalarial agent artemisinin with cyclodextrins

Effect of sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin and propylene glycol alginate on the solubility of clozapine

Clozapine (CLZ) is an atypical antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia and is poorly soluble in water (0.05 mM). In this study, we have investigated the effect of β-cyclodextrin (CD) and its derivatives on the solubility of CLZ. The solubility of the CLZ was measured to generate a phase solubility diagram, and the interaction between CLZ and sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) in aqueous solution was observed by ¹H- and 2D rotating-frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (ROESY)-NMR methods. Moreover, the synergistic effect of SBE-β-CD and water-soluble polymers, including polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium alginate, and propylene glycol alginate (PGA), on the solubility of CLZ was investigated. The results show that the solubility of CLZ with 1 w/v% PGA was 7.6 mM, which was almost four times greater than that of CLZ without PGA in a 15 mM SBE-β-CD solution. In contrast, the solubility of CLZ with 1 w/v % PGA in an aqueous solution decreased by one-third relative to that of CLZ in a 15 mM SBE-β-CD solution. 2D ROESY-NMR indicated that a CLZ/SBE-β-CD/PGA ternary complex formed. It was found that the combination of PGA and SBE-β-CD enhanced the solubility of CLZ.

Inclusion of terpenes in cyclodextrins: Preparation, characterization and pharmacological approaches

Terpenes constitute the largest class of natural products and are important resources for the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries. However, due to their low water solubility and poor bioavailability there has been a search for compounds that could improve their physicochemical properties. Cyclodextrins (natural and derived) have been proposed for this role and have been complexed with different types of terpenes. This complexation has been demonstrated by using analytical techniques for characterizing complexes such as DSC, NMR, XRD, FTIR, and TGA. The formation of inclusion complexes has been able to improve drug characteristics such as bioavailability, solubility and stability; and to enhance biological activity and efficacy. This review shows strong experimental evidence that cyclodextrins improve the pharmacological properties of terpenes, and therefore need to be recognized as being possible targets for clinical use.

Agglomerated oral dosage forms of artemisinin/β-cyclodextrin spray-dried primary microparticles showing increased dissolution rate and bioavailability

Artemisinin, a poorly water-soluble antimalarial drug, presents a low and erratic bioavailability upon oral administration. The aim of this work was to study an agglomerated powder dosage form for oral administration of artemisinin based on the artemisinin/β-cyclodextrin primary microparticles. These primary microparticles were prepared by spray-drying a water-methanol solution of artemisinin/β-cyclodextrin. β-Cyclodextrin in spray-dried microparticles increased artemisinin water apparent solubility approximately sixfold. The thermal analysis evidenced a reduction in the enthalpy value associated with drug melting, due to the decrease in drug crystallinity. The latter was also evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, while (13)C-NMR analysis indicated the partial complexation with β-cyclodextrin. Agglomerates obtained by sieve vibration of spray-dried artemisinin/β-cyclodextrin primary microparticles exhibited free flowing and close packing properties compared with the non-flowing microparticulate powder. The in vitro dissolution rate determination of artemisinin from the agglomerates showed that in 10 min about 70% of drug was released from the agglomerates, whereas less than 10% of artemisinin was dissolved from raw material powder. Oral administration of agglomerates in rats yielded higher artemisinin plasma levels compared to those of pure drug. In the case of the agglomerated powder, a 3.2-fold increase in drug fraction absorbed was obtained.

Advanced technologies for oral controlled release: cyclodextrins for oral controlled release

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, by means of inclusion complexes formation, with the following advantages for the drugs: (1) solubility, dissolution rate, stability, and bioavailability enhancement; (2) to modify the drug release site and/or time profile; and (3) to reduce or prevent gastrointestinal side effects and unpleasant smell or taste, to prevent drug-drug or drug-additive interactions, or even to convert oil and liquid drugs into microcrystalline or amorphous powders. A more recent trend focuses on the use of CDs as nanocarriers, a strategy that aims to design versatile delivery systems that can encapsulate drugs with better physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the applications of the CDs and their hydrophilic derivatives on the solubility enhancement of poorly water-soluble drugs in order to increase their dissolution rate and get immediate release, as well as their ability to control (to prolong or to delay) the release of drugs from solid dosage forms, either as complexes with the hydrophilic (e.g., as osmotic pumps) and/or hydrophobic CDs. New controlled delivery systems based on nanotechnology carriers (nanoparticles and conjugates) have also been reviewed.

β-Cyclodextrins enhance artemisinin production in Artemisia annua suspension cell cultures

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene antimalarial compound produced, though at low levels (0.1-1% dry weight), in Artemisia annua in which it accumulates in the glandular trichomes of the plant. Due to its antimalarial properties and short supply, efforts are being made to improve our understanding of artemisinin biosynthesis and its production. Native β-cyclodextrins, as well as the chemically modified heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins, were added to the culture medium of A. annua suspension cultures, and their effects on artemisinin production were analysed. The effects of a joint cyclodextrin and methyl jasmonate treatment were also investigated. Fifty millimolar DIMEB, as well as a combination of 50 mM DIMEB and 100 μM methyl jasmonate, was highly effective in increasing the artemisinin levels in the culture medium. The observed artemisinin level (27 μmol g(-1) dry weight) was about 300-fold higher than that observed in untreated suspensions. The influence of β-cyclodextrins and methyl jasmonate on the expression of artemisinin biosynthetic genes was also investigated.

Immobilized β-cyclodextrin on surface-modified carbon-coated cobalt nanomagnets: reversible organic contaminant adsorption and enrichment from water

Surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles can be used in extraction processes as they readily disperse in common solvents and combine high saturation magnetization with excellent accessibility. Reversible and recyclable adsorption and desorption through solvent changes and magnetic separation provide technically attractive alternatives to classical solvent extraction. Thin polymer layered carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles were tagged with β-cyclodextrin. The resulting material reversibly adsorbed organic contaminants in water within minutes. Isolation of the immobilized inclusion complex was easily carried out within seconds by magnetic separation due to the strong magnetization of the nanomagnets (metal core instead of hitherto used iron oxide). The trapped molecules were fully and rapidly recovered by filling the cyclodextrin cavity with a microbiologically well accepted substitute, e.g., benzyl alcohol. Phenolphthalein was used as a model compound for organic contaminants such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) or bisphenol A (BPA). Fast regeneration of nanomagnets (compared to similar cyclodextrin-based systems) under mild conditions resulted in 16 repetitive cycles (adsorption/desorption) at full efficiency. The high removal and regeneration efficiency was examined by UV-vis measurements at chemical equilibrium conditions and under rapid cycling (5 min). Experiments at ultralow concentrations (160 ppb) underline the high potential of cyclodextrin modified nanomagnets as a fast, recyclable extraction method for organic contaminants in large water streams or as an enrichment tool for analytics.

Evaluation of Artemisia annua infusion efficacy for the treatment of malaria in Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi infected mice

The efficacy of artemisinin (AR) against malaria has prompted its use as a tea drink in endemic communities. However, there is controversy about its efficacy in this form. Therefore we have investigated the effectiveness of Artemisia annua infusion in infected mice. OF1 mice infected with Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi were treated for upto 6 days by administration of: water (control group), A. annua infusion (tea group), 0.022 mg AR (AR-equiv. group) and 0.8 mg AR on the first day and 0.4 mg the following day (AR-WHO group). Initially, the parasitaemia increased in all groups. On day 4 it reached 75% in the control group, 72% in the AR-equiv. group, 50% in the tea group and 3% in the AR-WHO group. Mice treated with A. annua tea died after 11 days, while 83% of AR-WHO dose survived. The tea does not decrease the parasitaemia fast enough. We suggest that large clinical trials on human subjects are necessary to ascertain the efficacy of standardized tea. Additionally, other treatment possibilities are suggested.

Kinetic measurements of the hydrolytic degradation of cefixime: effect of Captisol complexation and water-soluble polymers

We have taken kinetic measurements of the hydrolytic degradation of cefixime, and have studied the effect of Captisol complexation and water-soluble polymers on that degradation. The phase solubility of cefixime in Captisol was determined. Kinetic measurements were carried out as a function of pH and temperature. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to assay all the samples of phase-solubility analysis and kinetic measurements. Chromatographic separation of the degradation products was also performed by HPLC. FT-IR spectroscopy was used to investigate the presence of any interaction between cefixime and Captisol and soluble polymer. The phase-solubility study showed A(L)-type behaviour. The pH-rate profile of cefixime exhibited a U-shaped profile whilst the degradation of cefixime alone was markedly accelerated with elevated temperature. A strong stabilizing influence of the cefixime-Captisol complexation and hypromellose was observed against aqueous mediated degradation, as compared with povidone and macrogol. The unfavourable effect of povidone and macrogol may have been due to the steric hindrance, which prevented the guest molecule from entering the cyclodextrin cavity, whereas hypromellose did not produce any steric hindrance.

Current Perspectives of Solubilization: Potential for Improved Bioavailability

This review focuses on the recent techniques of solubilization for the attainment of effective absorption and improved bioavailability. Solubilization may be affected due to cosolvent water interaction or altered crystal structure by cosolvent addition. Micellar solubilization could be affected by both ionic strength and pH. Addition of cosolvents to the surfactant solutions offers only a small advantage because of the decrease in the solubilization capacity of the micelles. Polymorphism is known to influence dissolution and bioavailability of the drugs. Molecular modeling study of cyclodextrin inclusion complexations can predict the inclusion modes, stoichiometry of the complex, and the relative complexing efficiency of cyclodextrins with various drug molecules.

The utility of cyclodextrins for enhancing oral bioavailability

Cyclodextrins (CD) have been utilized extensively in pharmaceutical formulations to enhance oral bioavailability. A critical review of the literature in which cyclodextrins were utilized for this purpose was conducted. The goal of this review was to determine if quantitative guidelines for drug and cyclodextrin properties necessary for bioavailability enhancement using cyclodextrins could be extracted. Twenty-eight studies were examined in which the focus was on the use of cyclodextrins as solubilizers to enhance bioavailability. Commonly observed factors included: utilization of pre-formed complex rather than physical mixtures, drug hydrophobicity (logP > 2.5), low drug solubility (typically< 1 mg/ml), moderate binding constant (< 5000 M(-1)), low dose (< 100 mg), and low CD:drug ratio (< 2:1). These general guidelines, however, did not apply to all studies. Quantitative guidelines useful to a formulation scientist considering the use of cyclodextrins were difficult to develop due to missing information and the complicated manner in which drug and cyclodextrin properties interact to influence key drug delivery processes (e.g., dissolution, absorption). The mechanisms by which cyclodextrins influence these processes, again emphasizing solubilization capabilities, are discussed to provide further insight into why cyclodextrins will increase bioavailability in certain cases but not influence or possibly decrease bioavailability in others.

Study of the physicochemical properties in aqueous medium and molecular modeling of tagitinin C/cyclodextrin complexes

The inclusion complexes of tagitinin C with beta-, 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin (CyD) was investigated in aqueous medium. The stoichiometric ratios and stability constants (K(f)) which describe the extent of formation of the complexes have been determined by UV spectroscopy and direct current tast polarography (DC(tast)), respectively. For each complex, a 1:1 molar ratio was formed in solution and the trend of stability constants was K(f) (2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-CyD)>K(f) (gamma-CyD)>K(f) (beta-CyD). The effect of molecular encapsulation on the photochemical conversion of tagitinin C was evaluated. No significant protection efficacy was noticed with beta- and gamma-CyD for the complexed drug with the respect to the free one. On the other hand, the photochemical conversion rate was slowed in presence of 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-CyD. Data from (1)H NMR and ROESY experiments provided a clear evidence of formation of inclusion complexes. The lactone, the ester and the unsaturated ketone parts of tagitinin C inserted into the wide rim of the CyDs torus. These experimental results were confirmed by the molecular modeling using semiempirical Austin Model 1 (AM1) method.

The binding interaction of synthetic ozonide antimalarials with natural and modified β-cyclodextrins

The current studies were undertaken to explore the potential basis for a significant difference in the pharmacokinetic parameters after intravenous administration of a synthetic ozonide (OZ) antimalarial drug candidate (1) to rats when formulated in either Captisol (a sulfobutylether substituted beta-cyclodextrin derivative ((SBE)(7)-beta-CD)) or a buffered aqueous vehicle. It was suspected that the differences may have been due to failure of 1 to rapidly dissociate from the cyclodextrin complex in vivo, perhaps due to an unusually tight binding within the cyclodextrin cavity. To address this hypothesis, the binding of representative synthetic OZ antimalarial drug candidates (including 1) with beta-cyclodextrin and (SBE)(7)-beta-CD was investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry and phase solubility analysis. It was found that each of the OZ compounds exhibited an exceptionally high binding constant ( approximately 10(6)/M) with both Cyclodextrins (CD). The nature of the complexation was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and NMR to explore the mechanisms, which generated such high binding constants. The data suggested that the most probable cause of the unusually high binding constants was a very close fit within the cyclodextrin cavity that resulted in more favourable changes in both the enthalpy and entropy of the binding interaction, compared to published data for other drugs.

Enhancement of cytotoxicity of artemisinins toward cancer cells by ferrous iron

Iron(II) heme-mediated activation of the peroxide bond of artemisinins is thought to generate the radical oxygen species responsible for their antimalarial activity. We analyzed the role of ferrous iron in the cytotoxicity of artemisinins toward tumor cells. Iron(II)-glycine sulfate (Ferrosanol) and transferrin increased the cytotoxicity of free artesunate, artesunate microencapsulated in maltosyl-beta-cyclodextrin, and artemisinin toward CCRF-CEM leukemia and U373 astrocytoma cells 1.5- to 10.3-fold compared with that of artemisinins applied without iron. Growth inhibition by artesunate and ferrous iron correlated with induction of apoptosis. Cell cycle perturbations by artesunate and ferrous iron were not observed. Treatment of p53 wild-type TK6 and p53 mutated WTK1 lymphoblastic cells showed that mutational status of the tumor suppressor p53 did not influence sensitivity to artesunate. The effect of ferrous iron and transferrin was reversed by monoclonal antibody RVS10 against the transferrin receptor (TfR), which competes with transferrin for binding to TfR. CCRF-CEM and U373 cells expressed TfR in 95 and 48% of the cell population, respectively, whereas TfR expression in peripheral mononuclear blood cells of four healthy donors was confined to 0.4-1.3%. This indicates that artemisinins plus ferrous iron may affect tumor cells more than normal cells. The IC(50) values for a series of eight different artemisinin derivatives in 60 cell lines of the U.S. National Cancer Institute were correlated with the microarray mRNA expression of 12 genes involved in iron uptake and metabolism by Kendall's tau test to identify iron-responsive cellular factors enhancing the activity of artemisinins. This pointed to mitochondrial aconitase and ceruloplasmin (ferroxidase).

Interaction of artemisinin and its related compounds with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin in solution state: experimental and molecular-modeling studies

Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) was investigated as a possible solubilizer for a series of poorly water-soluble antimalarial drugs. The solubilities of artemisinin, artether, dihydroartemisinin, and 10-deoxoartemisinin in HPBCD solutions were studied. The phase-solubility profile of these drugs in HPBCD solutions, in the concentration range studied, can be classified as type A(L) or soluble 1:1 complexes. The solubilities of artemisinin, artether, dihydroartemisinin, and 10-deoxoartemisinin in 20% w/v solutions of HPBCD are 4.5, 1.3, 6.0, and 5.2 mg/mL, respectively. The stability constants of artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artether, and 10-deoxoartemisinin complexes with HPBCD are 475, 405, 327, and 146 M(-1), respectively. Three different docking methods, SYBYL DOCK, FlexiDock, and DOCK 4.0.1 were evaluated to further understand the complexation modes and applicability of the docking programs for the modeling of inclusion complexes. The results showed that DOCK 4.0.1 offers a better correlation in terms of orientation of molecules inside the cyclodextrin cavity and also in terms of docking scores.