Validation of LC/MS electrospray ionisation method for the estimation of ursodiol in human plasma and its application in bioequivalence study

A novel High Performance Liquid Chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometric method has been developed for the estimation of Ursodiol (Ursodeoxycholic acid)--a bile acid, in human plasma using Ornidazole as internal standard. The methodology involved solid phase extraction of the analyte from human plasma matrix. The chromatographic separation was achieved within seven minutes by an isocratic mobile phase containing 1.0 mM ammonium acetate and Acetonitrile (65:35, v/v), flowing through XTerra MS C18, 100 x 2.1, 3.5 microm analytical column, at a flow rate of 0.2 ml/min. Ion signals were measured in negative mode for Ursodiol and internal standard at m/z 391.3 and 278.1, respectively. A detailed validation of the method was performed as per USFDA guidelines and the standard curves were found to be linear in the range 50.0 ng/ml to 3000.0 ng/ml with the mean correlation coefficient more than 0.99. The absolute recovery was more than 54.90% for Ursodiol and 76.51% for internal standard. Ursodiol was stable for sixty-nine days at -70 degrees C and for eight hours at ambient temperature. After extraction from plasma, the reconstituted samples of Ursodiol were stable in autosampler at 10 degrees C for forty-eight hours. Upon subjecting to three freeze thaw cycles, there was no change in the recovery of the analyte. The integrity of the plasma samples remained unaffected even upon four-fold dilution with drug free human plasma. The method was simple, specific, sensitive, precise, accurate and suitable for bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic studies. It was successfully applied to the pilot bioequivalence study of Ursodiol in male human subjects.     

A High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Evaluation of Marmelosin from Aegle marmelos Corr. Extract and Its Traditional Formulation from Rat Plasma: Application to Pharmacokinetics

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Marmelosin is one of the major phytochemical constituents of Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr. (Rutaceae). Till date, there are no methods...     

Exploring the Interplay between Drug Release and Targeting of Lipid-Like Polymer Nanoparticles Loaded with Doxorubicin

Targeted delivery of doxorubicin still poses a challenge with regards to the quantities reaching the target site as well as the specificity of the uptake. In the present approach, two colloidal nanocarrier systems, NanoCore-6.4 and NanoCore-7.4, loaded with doxorubicin and characterized by different drug release behaviors were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The nanoparticles utilize a specific surface design to modulate the lipid corona by attracting blood-borne apolipoproteins involved in the endogenous transport of chylomicrons across the blood–brain barrier. When applying this strategy, the fine balance between drug release and carrier accumulation is responsible for targeted delivery. Drug release experiments in an aqueous medium resulted in a difference in drug release of approximately 20%, while a 10% difference was found in human serum. This difference affected the partitioning of doxorubicin in human blood and was reflected by the outcome of the pharmacokinetic study in rats. For the fast-releasing formulation NanoCore-6.4, the AUC_0→1h was significantly lower (2999.1 ng × h/mL) than the one of NanoCore-7.4 (3589.5 ng × h/mL). A compartmental analysis using the physiologically-based nanocarrier biopharmaceutics model indicated a significant difference in the release behavior and targeting capability. A fraction of approximately 7.310–7.615% of NanoCore-7.4 was available for drug targeting, while for NanoCore-6.4 only 5.740–6.057% of the injected doxorubicin was accumulated. Although the targeting capabilities indicate bioequivalent behavior, they provide evidence for the quality-by-design approach followed in formulation development.     

Single-step purification and immobilization of penicillin acylase using hydrophobic ligands

Five differenthydrophobic ligands immobilized on 4% (4XL) and 6% (6XL) crosslinked agarose were used to study the single-step purification of penicillin acylase from cell lysate. The 4XL gels showed relatively higher specific activity and recovery than the 6XL gels. In single-step purification, highly active enzyme (42 U/mg) was obtained using moderately hydrophobic ligand (octyl). The crude enzyme immobilized on octyl gel by adsorption showed significant operational stability over a period of 30 d at room temperature. Reactor studies demonstrated the feasibility of hydrophobic ligands as a medium for immobilization.     

Heterogeneously Porous γ‐MnO2‐Catalyzed Direct Oxidative Amination of Benzoxazole through CH Activation in the Presence of O2

Oxidative amination of azoles through catalytic C? H bond activation is a very important reaction due to the presence of 2‐aminoazoles in several biologically active compounds. However, most of the reported methods are performed under homogeneous reaction conditions using excess reagents and additives. Herein, we report the heterogeneous, porous γ‐MnO₂‐catalyzed direct amination of benzoxazole with wide range of primary and secondary amines. The amination was carried under mild reaction conditions and using molecular oxygen as a green oxidant, without any additives. The catalyst can easily be separated by filtration and reused several times without a significant loss of its catalytic performance. Of note, the reaction tolerates a functional group such as alcohol, thus indicating the broad applicability of this reaction.     

On the origin of photocontraction effect in amorphous chalcogenide films

Large photocontraction of up to 26% has been observed in some chalcogenide films. Conditions necessary for the occurrence of large photocontraction are indicated to be: ability to form a glass, high bond ionicity, strong electron-phonon coupling, low density of the bulk material, and a large density difference between the bulk and the thin-film. These studies suggest that contraction (densification) is due to the mechanical collapse of the columns resulting from the large internal stresses caused by the interaction of the photogenerated carriers and the charged dangling bonds.