Smart Protein-Based Formulation of Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: Toward Oral Delivery of Insulin

Oral insulin administration still represents a paramount quest that almost a century of continuous research attempts did not suffice to fulfill. Before pre-clinical development, oral insulin products have first to be optimized in terms of encapsulation efficiency, protection against proteolysis, and intestinal permeation ability. With the use of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) as an insulin host and together with a protein-based excipient, succinylated β-lactoglobulin (BL), pH-responsive tablets permitted the shielding of insulin from early release/degradation in the stomach and mediated insulin permeation across the intestinal cellular membrane. Following an original in vitro cellular assay based on insulin starvation, direct cellular fluorescent visualization has evidenced how DMSNs could ensure the intestinal cellular transport of insulin.     

Rapid titrimetric and spectrophotometric assay methods for the determination of lamivudine in pharmaceuticals using iodate and two dyes

One titrimetric and two spectrophotometric methods, which are simple, sensitive and rapid, are described for the assay of lamivudine in bulk drug and in tablet dosage forms using potassium iodate and two dyes, methyl orange and indigocarmine, as reagents. In titrimetry, an aqueous solution of lamivudine is titrated directly with iodate in an acidic medium, and in the presence of an excess of bromide using methyl orange as an indicator. After the decoloration of the red color of methyl orange, the residual bromine is titrated iodometrically to a starch endpoint. Spectrophotometric methods involve the addition of a known excess of iodate in an acidic medium and in the presence of an excess of bromide followed by the determination of residual bromine by the reaction with a fixed amount of either methyl orange and measuring the absorbance at 520 nm (method A), or indigo carmine and measuring the absorbance at 610 nm (method B). In all methods, the amount of iodate which reacted corresponds to the amount of lamivudine content. The titrimetric method is applicable over the 1.5–8.0 mg range. The systems obey Beer’s law for 0.5–5.0 μg/mL (method A) and 1.25–12.5 μg/mL (method B). The calculated apparent molar absorptivity values are found to be 3.3 × 10⁴ and 9.3 × 10³ L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹, for method A and method B, respectively, and the corresponding Sandell sensitivity values are 6.94 and 24.62 ng/cm². The limits of detection and quantification are also reported for both spectrophotometric methods. Intra-and interday precision and accuracy for the developed methods have been evaluated. The methods were successfully applied to the assay of lamivudine in tablet form and the results were compared with those of a reference method by applying the Student’s t-test and F-test. No interference was observed from common tablet adjuvants. The accuracy and reliability of the methods were further ascertained by recovery experiments using the standard addition technique. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

人工神经网络紫外分光光度法同时测定去痛片组分含量

用BP人神经网络处理复方制剂去痛片的紫外吸收光谱数据,达到了对其各组分含量进行同时测定的目的。通过对网络结构和参数的优化,提高了预报的准确度。     

基于HPLC-TOF/MS与HPLC-MS/MS的养心氏片主要成分研究

采用高效液相色谱-高分辨飞行时间质谱联用技术(HPLC-TOF/MS),建立了快速鉴定养心氏片化学成分的定性方法,并利用高效液相色谱-串联三重四极杆质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)对养心氏片的主要成分进行定量分析。HPLC-TOF/MS法以ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18(100 mm×3.0 mm,1.8μm)为色谱柱,乙腈-0.1%甲酸为流动相,梯度洗脱,流速为0.2 mL·min~(-1),柱温30℃,质谱采用正、负离子扫描,可推断鉴定养心氏片中的30种成分。HPLC-MS/MS法采用Waters XBridgeBEH C18(150 mm×4.6 mm,2.5μm)为色谱柱,乙腈-0.1%甲酸为流动相,梯度洗脱,流速0.4 mL·min~(-1),柱温30℃,Scheduled MRM正负离子切换监测模式定量分析。对养心氏片中16种主要成分进行HPLC-MS/MS分析,16种成分的质量浓度与峰面积呈良好线性,相关系数r≥0.997,检出限为0.039 1~78.1μg/L,定量下限为0.156~312μg/L,平均加标回收率为96.8%~103.8%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.0%~3.5%。结果表明,该方法操作简便、结果准确、重复性好,可用于养心氏片中多组分的同时定性和定量分析,为养心氏产品的质量控制、药理研究和应用奠定了基础。     

Simultaneous determination of kaempferol,quercetin, mangiferin,gallic acid,p‐hydroxybenzoic acid and chlorpheniramine maleate in rat plasma after oral administration of Mang‐Guo‐Zhi‐Ke tablets by UHPLC‐MS/MS and its application to pharmacokinetics

Mang‐Guo‐Zhi‐Ke tablets (MGZKTs) is an effective Chinese patent medicine. It contains mango leaf extract as the main raw material and the antihistamine drug, chlorpheniramine maleate is included in the formulation. However, its pharmacokinetic effect is rarely reported. A highly sensitive, reliable and rapid high‐throughput method using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐MS/MS) was used to simultaneously determine kaempferol, quercetin, mangiferin, p‐hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid and chlorpheniramine maleate in rat plasma after oral administration of MGZKTs. The method was successfully developed and fully validated to investigate the pharmacokinetics of MGZKTs. Chloramphenicol and clarithromycin were used as internal standards (IS). A practicable protein precipitation procedure with methanol was adopted for sample preparation. The samples were separated on an Acquity UHPLC Syncronis C₁₈ column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) using 0.1% formic acid–acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The flow rate was set at 0.4 mL/min. The obtained calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of ~1–1000 ng/mL for plasma (r > 0.99). Method validation results met the criteria reported in the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Quercetin, p‐hydroxybenzoic acid and kaempferol were absorbed rapidly and reached the peak concentration between 0.16 and 0.25 h. This validated that the UHPLC‐MS/MS method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic parameters of the six compounds in rat plasma after oral administration of MGZKTs. This evidence will be useful for the clinical rational use of Mang‐Guo‐Zhi‐Ke tablets.     

Comparative pharmacokinetics study of five alkaloids in rat plasma and related compound–herb interactions mechanism after oral administration of Shuanghua Baihe tablets

Shuanghua Baihe tablet is a traditional Chinese patent medicine which showed special advantages in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Scientists have improved and implemented the LC-MS/MS method, which is specific and sensitive, for comparative pharmacokinetics study of five alkaloids, including palmatine, berberine, epiberberine, jatrorrhizine and coptisine in rat plasma after oral administration of Rhizoma Coptidis extract and Shuanghua Baihe tablets. The results showed that Shuanghua Baihe tablets could promote the absorption of these five alkaloids and improved their bioavailability compared with R. Coptidis extract. To further investigate the related mechanism, everted intestinal sac model in vitro was used to indicate that alteration of in vivo pharmacokinetics of five alkaloids could be attributed to, at least in part, the absorption changes by coadministration of other herbs. These discoveries served as a theoretical basis for clinical use of Shuanghua Baihe tables.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids for the entire process quality control from Senecio scandens to Senecio scandens‐containing preparations by high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

Senecio scandens as a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine that is used alone or in combination with other herbs in preparations such as QianBai BiYan tablets has attracted much attention because of its hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Nowadays, most studies for pyrrolizidine alkaloids are only performed on herbs or a preparation, however, production of preparations is a dynamic process, control of toxic impurities for raw materials, or finished products cannot monitor the production process dynamically. Thus, in this study, qualitative and quantitative analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids for the entire process quality control from S. scandens to its preparations was carried out with HPLC‐MS/MS for the first time, which was more comprehensive and dynamic than the previous single‐layer analysis. First, the species of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in S. scandens were analyzed, and the characteristic fragmentation rules of pyrrolizidine alkaloids containing common parent nucleus were found, which can be used to identify these components rapidly in the future. Then, a quantitative method for S. scandens to QianBai BiYan tablets and other nine S. scandens‐containing preparations was established, and after the medication safety speculation, all of them met the relevant safety requirements. After that, in order to ensure the stability and controllable of drug quality, the limit of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in preparations was determined according to the safe dosage that is stipulated to be the same as raw materials. Finally, the factors causing the content change of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in S. scandens from different source were studies, which can provide theoretical basis for selecting suitable raw materials for production.     

Total selenium and selenomethionine in pharmaceutical yeast tablets: assessment of the state of the art of measurement capabilities through international intercomparison CCQM-P86

Results of an international intercomparison study (CCQM-P86) to assess the analytical capabilities of national metrology institutes (NMIs) and selected expert laboratories worldwide to accurately quantitate the mass fraction of selenomethionine (SeMet) and total Se in pharmaceutical tablets of selenised-yeast supplements (produced by Pharma Nord, Denmark) are presented. The study, jointly coordinated by LGC Ltd., UK, and the Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), was conducted under the auspices of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière (CCQM) Inorganic Analysis Working Group and involved 15 laboratories (from 12 countries), of which ten were NMIs. Apart from a protocol for determination of moisture content and the provision of the certified reference material (CRM) SELM-1 to be used as the quality control sample, no sample preparation/extraction method was prescribed. A variety of approaches was thus used, including single-step and multiple-step enzymatic hydrolysis, enzymatic probe sonication and hydrolysis with methanesulfonic acid for SeMet, as well as microwave-assisted acid digestion and enzymatic probe sonication for total Se. For total Se, detection techniques included inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry (MS) with external calibration, standard additions or isotope dilution MS (IDMS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry , flame atomic absorption spectrometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis. For determination of SeMet in the tablets, five NMIs and three academic/institute laboratories (of a total of five) relied upon measurements using IDMS. For species-specific IDMS measurements, an isotopically enriched standard of SeMet (⁷⁶Se-enriched SeMet) was made available. A novel aspect of this study relies on the approach used to distinguish any errors which arise during analysis of a SeMet calibration solution from those which occur during analysis of the matrix. To help those participants undertaking SeMet analysis to do this, a blind sample in the form of a standard solution of natural abundance SeMet in 0.1 M HCl (with an expected value of 956 mg kg⁻¹ SeMet) was provided. Both high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–ICP-MS or gas chromatography (GC)–ICP-MS and GC-MS techniques were used for quantitation of SeMet. Several advances in analytical methods for determination of SeMet were identified, including the combined use of double IDMS with HPLC-ICP-MS following extraction with methanesulfonic acid and simplified two-step enzymatic hydrolysis with protease/lipase/driselase followed by HPLC-ICP-IDMS, both using a species-specific IDMS approach. Overall, satisfactory agreement amongst participants was achieved; results averaged 337.6 mg kg⁻¹ (n = 13, with a standard deviation of 9.7 mg kg⁻¹) and 561.5 mg kg⁻¹(n = 11, with a standard deviation of 44.3 mg kg⁻¹) with median values of 337.6 and 575.0 mg kg⁻¹ for total Se and SeMet, respectively. Recovery of SeMet from SELM-1 averaged 95.0% (n = 9). The ability of NMIs and expert laboratories worldwide to deliver accurate results for total Se and SeMet in such materials (selensied-yeast tablets containing approximately 300 mg kg⁻¹ Se) with 10% expanded uncertainty was demonstrated. The problems addressed in achieving accurate quantitation of SeMet in this product are representative of those encountered with a wide range of organometallic species in a number of common matrices. Figure Looking into the quantitative speciation of selenium in pharmaceutical supplements Photo courtesy of LGC.     

A Simple Strategy for Simultaneous Determination of Paracetamol and Caffeine Using Flow Injection Analysis with Multiple Pulse Amperometric Detection

In this work, we report a simple and novel strategy for simultaneous analysis using flow injection analysis with multiple pulse amperometric (FIA‐MPA) detection. The proposed strategy was successfully used for simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine (model analytes) in pharmaceutical formulations. A sequence of potential pulses (waveform) was selected in such a way that PA is selectively oxidized at E₁ (+1.20 V/50 ms) and both compounds (PA+CA) are simultaneously oxidized at E₂ (+1.55 V/50 ms); hence, current subtraction (using a correction factor) can be used for the selective determination of CA. The proposed FIA method is simple, cheap, fast (140 injections h^?1), and present selectivity for the determination of both compounds in pharmaceutical samples, with results similar to those obtained by HPLC at a 95 % confidence level.