Assay and drug development technologies最新文献

One of the most sought-after therapeutic targets for treating human cancers is the phosphoinositide 3-kinase; PI3k is an integral part of the PI3K/protein kinase B signaling arcade. This pathway is frequently activated in malignancies. Drug resistance and dose-limiting adverse effects are currently associated challenges with the existing anticancer chemotherapy. Therefore, in this research, a series of pyrimidine derivatives were designed and evaluated against human PI3K by using molecular docking analysis. The docking results were further verified by molecular dynamic simulation, which analyzed the strength of the macromolecular complex with respect to time. Compounds IV and XIV were found to be the most potent inhibitors of the human PI3K receptor with a high degree of stability within the active site of the target receptor for a timeframe of 50 ns. Thus, both of these compounds could be important drug candidates for the development of PI3K inhibitors as a prospective anticancer agent.

Azithromycin (AZI) belongs to the class of macrolide antibiotics that has limited water solubility and belongs to Biopharmaceutical Classification System Class II. Dissolution is the rate-limiting step in the absorption process of AZI. Several approaches have been investigated for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. This review intends to explore the various strategies that have been investigated for improving the solubility and/or bioavailability of AZI and the delivery systems that have been designed for delivery of AZI in ocular fluid.

Drug-resistant infections have become a serious threat to human health in the past two decades. Global Antimicrobial Surveillance (GLASS) in January 2018 reported widespread antibiotic resistance among 1.5 million people infected with bacteria across 22 countries. According to prominent economist Jim O'Neil, antimicrobial resistance is estimated to kill ∼10 million people affected by microorganisms each year by 2050. Even though multiple therapeutics are now available to treat the infections, more and more bacterial strains have acquired resistance to these treatments through various techniques. Moreover, the decrease in the pipeline of antibacterial medicines under clinical development has become a significant problem. In this scenario, the development of novel antibiotics that act on untapped pathways is necessary to combat the bacterial infections. Isoprenoid H (IspH) synthetase has become an attractive antibacterial target as there is no human homologue. IspH is an enzyme involved in methyl-d-erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway of isoprenoid synthesis and is conserved in gram-negative bacteria, mycobacteria, and apicomplexans. Since, IspH is a novel therapeutic target, explorations are only just beginning, and despite the progress made in this area, no single IspH inhibitor is available in the market for therapeutic use. In this article, we have repurposed 35 immune boosters against IspH enzyme using methods such as extra-precision docking and Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area (MMGBSA). Among them, 4'-fluorouridine was found to be active because of its glide score and significant binding affinity with IspH enzyme. Furthermore, this study requires more in vitro, in vivo, and molecular dynamics studies to support our findings.

Intranasal route provides large surface area, avoids first-pass metabolism, and results in improved drug absorption. Intranasal delivery targets the drug to the brain for treatment of central nervous diseases viz migraine. The objective of the study was to formulate in situ nasal gel containing rizatriptan benzoate (RB)-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). NLCs were prepared by melt-emulsification ultrasonication method and optimized using 3² factorial design. Optimized NLCs were spherical with particle size of 189 nm, high drug encapsulation efficiency (84.5%), and 83.9% drug release at the end of 24 h. RB-loaded NLCs were incorporated into the liquid Carbopol 934P and Poloxamer 407 liquid gelling system to obtain in situ gel formation. The resultant product was assessed for gelling capacity, viscosity, and mucoadhesive strength. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed significant therapeutic concentration of drug in the brain following intranasal administration with C_max value of 5.1 ng/mL and area under the curve value of 829 ng/(min·mL). Significantly higher values of nose to brain targeting parameters, namely, drug targeting index (2.76) and nose to brain drug direct transport (63.69%) for RB-NLCs in situ nasal gel, confirmed drug targeting to brain through nasal route. The ex vivo nasal toxicity study showed no sign of toxicity to the nasal mucosa. Thus, the application of lipid carrier-loaded in situ gel proved potential for intranasal delivery of RB over the conventional gel formulations for efficient brain targeting.

Combination therapy has become much more effective in treating cancer because it produces combinatorial anticancer results, lowers specific drug-related toxicities, and inhibits multidrug resistivity through several modes of action. Combined drug delivery (CDD) to cancerous tissues, primarily based on nanotechnology, has developed as a viable method in recent years, surpassing various biomedical, biophysical, and biological obstacles that the body erects to prevent antitumor drugs from reaching their target tissues. In a combined strategy, the prolonged, regulated, and targeted administration of chemotherapeutic medicines improves therapeutic anticancer benefits while reducing drug-related adverse effects. CDD systems have several advantages over traditional drug systems, such as improved solubility, higher permeability for traveling through biomembranes, a significantly longer half-life to expand the treatment time, and low cytotoxicity. CDDs are mostly used to treat neurological, cardiovascular, neoplastic, infectious, and inflammatory diseases. Many CDDs are designed to enhance hydrophilicity to improve transportation inside or across biomembranes, particularly the cornea and skin. CDDs could be delivered to particular cells, organs, or tissues, resulting in increased bioavailability. The most widely utilized nanocarriers for CDDs of anticancer medicines are summarized in this review. This study also covers the chemical or enzymatic decomposition of CDDs and their bioactivity and pharmacokinetics. Additional clinical trials will enhance the usefulness of CDDs in treating drug-resistant tumors.

This study aims to develop optimized leuprolide acetate (LA) nanoparticles (NPs) for intranasal delivery in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Box-Behnken Design was used to optimize LA polylactide-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) NPs. The independent variables chosen were PLGA concentration, surfactant concentration, and the ratio of water to oil phase, whereas the dependent variables were particle size and % entrapment efficiency. The optimized NPs were evaluated by in vitro drug release study, ex vivo diffusion study, histopathology study, hemolytic stability study, and stability in simulated nasal fluid (SNF). The optimized NPs had particle size of 182.6 ± 1.5 nm, polydispersity index (0.3), % entrapment efficiency (77.3 ± 0.6), and zeta potential (-5.6 mv ±0.2). The in vitro drug release indicated 96% of pure drug release in 6 h, whereas only 66.35% of the drug was released from the optimized formulation at 48 h. The ex vivo diffusion study indicated an apparent permeability coefficient of 5.0 + 0.3 × 10⁴ for drug-containing NPs, which was higher than for plain drug solution (2.0 + 0.2 × 10⁴). Sheep nasal toxicity and hemolytic study proved the safety of formulation. The optimized NPs were found to be stable in SNF. Thus, nanoparticulate formulation of LA was optimized by quality by design approach.