Determination of nifedipine in dog plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

Nifedipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker used widely in the management of hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. In this work, a simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to determine nifedipine in dog plasma using nimodipine as the internal standard. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a C₈ column. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile, water and formic acid (60:40:0.2, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in selected reaction monitoring mode via an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source. The method has a lower limit of quantification of 0.20 ng/mL with consumption of plasma as low as 0.05 mL. The linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.20–50.0 ng/mL (r = 0.9948). The recoveries of the liquid extraction method were 74.5–84.1%. Intra‐day and inter‐day precisions were 4.1–8.8 and 6.7–7.4%, respectively. The quantification was not interfered with by other plasma components and the method was applied to determine nifedipine in plasma after a single oral administration of two controlled‐release nifedipine tablets to beagle dogs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solubility Study of Nimodipine Inclusion Complexation with α- and β-Cyclodextrin and some Substituted Cyclodextrins

The solubility of nimodipine was measured in aqueous solutions of the following cyclodextrins: -cyclodextrin (-CD), hydroxypropyl--CD (HP--CD), -cyclodextrin (-CD), random substituted methyl--CD (M--CD), three hydroxypropyl--CDs (HP--CD) with mutually different average degree of substitution, and hydroxypropyl--cyclodextrin (HP--CD). From the determined linear solubility diagrams the values of the binding constant K₁₁ of the inclusion complexes of nimodipine with the respective CDs were evaluated. The -CDs efficiently solubilized sparingly soluble nimodipine, the highest value of K₁₁ was found for M--CD (1680 M^-1), followed by -CD (550 M^-1) and HP--CDs, where the higher degree of substitution lowered K₁₁. Only slight solubilization of nimodipine was observed in the solutions of the -CDs and HP--CD.     

Aggregation Behavior of Non‐ionic Twinned Amphiphiles and Their Application as Biomedical Nanocarriers

A new class of twinned amphiphiles was developed by conjugating a pair of hydrophilic head groups from mPEG chains (M _n: 350 or 1000) and a pair of hydrophobic segments from linear alkyl chains (C₁₁ or C₁₈) through a novel spacer synthesized from glycerol and p ‐hydroxybenzoic acid. The aggregation phenomena of the amphiphiles were proven by DLS and fluorescence experiments, whereas size and morphology of the aggregates were evaluated by cryo‐TEM. The measurements proved the formation of globular, thread‐like or rod‐like micelles as well as planar double‐layer assemblies, depending on the amphiphile's molecular structure. The applicability of these non‐ionic amphiphilic systems as nanocarriers for hydrophobic guest molecules was demonstrated by encapsulating a hydrophobic dye, Nile Red, and a hydrophobic drug, Nimodipine. The transport capacity results for both Nimodipine and Nile Red prove them as a promising candidate for drug delivery.     

Development and optimization of a supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the high‐throughput determination of nimodipine in beagle plasma

A simple, sensitive, and efficient supercritical fluid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the determination of nimodipine in beagle plasma. One‐step protein precipitation with acetone was used to extract the analytes from the plasma. Nitrendipine was used as the internal standard. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an ACQUITY UPC²? BEH 2‐EP column, and a gradient elution program was applied at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization source operating in positive ion mode. Quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions of m/z 419.3→301.3 for nimodipine and m/z 361.4→315.2 for nitrendipine. A satisfactory linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 0.5–800 ng/mL (r > 0.996). The intra‐ and interday precision and accuracy results were <9.1% across the quality control levels. The peak concentration and area under concentration‐time curve (0–720 min) values of the test and reference formulations were 279.28 ± 211.46 and 265.13 ± 149.26 ng/mL, 25608.00 ± 17553.65 and 28553.67 ± 20207.92 ng·min/mL, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to reveal the pharmacokinetic profiles of nimodipine in beagle dogs after oral administration. Moreover, the analytical method could be used for further bioequivalence studies.     

Solution thermodynamics of nimodipine in some PEG 400 + ethanol mixtures

The solubility of nimodipine (NMD) in several PEG 400 + ethanol mixtures was determined at five temperatures from 293.15 to 313.15 K. The thermodynamic functions of Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy of solution and of mixing were obtained by using the van't Hoff and Gibbs equations from these solubility data and drug properties of fusion. The highest solubility value was obtained in PEG 400 and the lowest in ethanol at all temperatures. A non-linear enthalpy–entropy relationship was observed from a plotof enthalpy vs. Gibbs energy of solution. Accordingly, the driving mechanism for NMD solubility in ethanol-rich mixtures is the enthalpy, whereas in PEG 400-rich mixtures thedriving mechanism is the entropy, although the molecular events involved are unclear.     

Solid dispersion systems engineered from hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin and water‐soluble polymers for enhanced oral bioavailability of nimodipine

Nimodipine (NMD) is a calcium channel blocker that is used in the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders, such as stroke indicated for biological rhythm and neurological disorders. According to biopharmaceutical classification, NMD is categorized as a class ΙΙ drug, meaning it has a poor solubility profile. The objective of this experiment is to prepare multicomponent systems to enhance the solubility, dissolution, and bioavailability of NMD. Inclusion complex and solvent evaporation techniques have been exploited to overcome this challenge. in vitro dissolution studies and solubility, the profile was performed in three pH media (pH 7.5, 1.2, and 6.8). The drug release at (Q_60min) for SD‐PVP3 was 33‐fold higher than pure NMD in double‐distilled water. The solubility of SD PVP3 was about 30 times higher than plain NMD in double‐distilled water. A pharmacokinetic study in rats indicated that the AUC_0‐720 value of the inclusion complex (NMD‐KD) was 1.63‐fold higher than pure NMD. At the same time, the solid dispersion (NMD‐SD PVP3) was 3.94‐fold higher than that of plain NMD, indicating a significant increase in the bioavailability of NMD. The combination of the inclusion complex and solvent evaporation method led to the formation of new solid dispersions (SD PLX and SD PVP), which significantly increased the solubility, dissolution, and the oral bioavailability of NMD.