• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.303-311
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• 1997

Proliposomal patch of clenbuterol, ${\beta}_2-agonist$ bronchodilator, was prepared and its feasibility as a novel transdermal drug delivery system was examined. Proliposomal granules containing clenbuterol was prepared by a standard method using sorbitol and lecithin with (Rx 2) or without cholesterol (Rx 1). The porous structure of sorbitol in the proliposomes was maintained allowing tree flowability of the granules. Following contact with water, the granules were converted probably to liposomes almost completely within several minutes. It indicates that proliposomes may be hydrated, when they are applied on the skin under occlusive condition in vivo, by the sweat to form liposomes. Clenbuterol release from Rx 1 and Rx 2 proliposomes to pH 7.4 isotonic phospate buffer (PBS) across cellulose membrane (mol. wt. cut-off of 12000-14000) was retarded significantly compared with that from the mixture of clenbuterol powder and blank proliposomes. Interestingly, proliposomes prepared with lecithin and cholesterol (i.e., Rx 2 proliposomes) showed much more retarded release of clenbuterol than proliposomes prepared only with lecithin (i.e.. Rx 1 proliposomes), indicating that clenbuterol release from proliposomes can be controlled by the addition of cholesterol to the proliposomes. Proliposomal patches were prepared using PVC film as an occlusive backing sheet, two sides adhesive tape (urethane, 1.45 mm thickness) as a reservoir for proliposome granules and Millipore MF-membrane (0.45 mm pore size) as a drug release-controlling membrane. Rx 1 or Rx 2 proliposomes containing 4.6 mg of clenbuterol were loaded into the reservoir of the patch. Clenbuterol release from the patches to pH 7.4 PBS was determined using USP paddle (50 rpm)-over-disc release method. Clenbuterol release from the proliposomal patches was much more retarded even than from a matrix type clenbuterol patch (Boehringer Ingelheim ltd). Being consistent with clenbuterol release from the proliposomal granules, the release from the patches was highly dependent on the presence of cholesterol in the proliposomes : Patches containing Rx 2 proliposomes showed several fold slower drug release than patches containing Rx 1 proliposomes. When the patch containing Rx 1 proliposomes was applied on to the back of a hair-removed rat, clenbuterol concentration in the rat blood was maintained during 6-72 hrs. Transdermal absorption of clenbuterol from the patch was accelerated when the patch was prehydrated with 50 ml of pH 7.4 PBS before topical application. Above results indicate that sustained transdermal delivery of clenbuterol is feasible using proliposomal patches if the cholesterol content and pore size of the release rate-controlling membrane of patches, for example, are appropriately controlled.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.355-361
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• 2006

Intraarticular corticosteroid injections for therapy of rheumatic arthritis are administered with the aim of optimal local anti-inflammatory effect at the injection site. Since the side effects of corticosteroidal drug, dexamethasone(DEX), administered at hish dose limited the therapeutic efficacy, there was a need to design a new drug delivery system for controlled release of dexamethasone. As a prodrug for continuous therapeutic efficacy, dexamethasone-21-palmitate(DEX-PAL) was prepared via esterification of palmitoyl chloride and dexamethasone. DEX-PAL was identified by NMR and MASS analysis. DEX-PAL or DEX was entrapped in lipid nanosphere which could be prepared by using a self emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Physicochemical characteristics such as mean particle diameter, zeta potential and drug loading efficiency of the lipid nanospheres were investigated with variation of either the kind of lipid or the lipid composition. The lipid nanospheres had a mean diameter $83{\sim}95$ nm and DEX-PAL loading efficiency of up to 95%. The drug loading efficiency increased with the increase of aliphatic chain length attached to the phospholipid. The incorporation of cationic lipid was very efficient for both reducing particle size of lipid nanospheres and enhancing drug loading efficiency. The lipid nanospheres containing DEX-PAL may be a promising novel drug carrier for the controlled release of the poorly water-soluble drugs.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.127-136
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• 1999

In order to eliminate demerits of conventional dosage forms, dipotassium glycyrrhizate was formulated as a slim mucoadhesive film type dosage form. The mucoadhesive drug layer gel containing dipotassium glycyrrhizate was prepared using $Noveon^{\circledR}$ AA-1, hydroxypropylcellulose-M, ethylcellulose N 100 and citric acid, and the protective layer gel by using ethylcellulose N 100, $Eudragit^{\circledR}$ RS and castor oil. The viscosity of drug layer gel of mucoadhesive film was enhanced as the increased amount of $Noveon^{\circledR}$ AA-1 or hydroxypropyl cellulose-M. The drug content was unifonnly $1160{\pm}14.6\;{\mu}g$, and was varied within 3.5%. The optimum film dosage form showed a good fluidity and malleability of drug layer, with 179 g of thickness, pH 5.7, 411 min of in vitro adhesion time and 172 g in gravity adhesive strength. The release time of drug from the mucoadhesive film was significantly shorter but was delayed when polymers such as ethylcellulose was added. From these results, the new mucoadhesive film may be effective for the treatment of aphthous stomatitis.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.437-443
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• 2009

To develop a topical bioadhesive formulation of clotrimazole for enhanced transdermal delivery, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose gel containing permeation enhancer was formulated and permeation studies were carried out. The release characteristics of the drug from the gel formulation were examined according to the receptor medium, drug concentration, and temperature. The rate of drug release from the gel increased with increasing drug concentration and temperature. The activation energy (Ea) of drug permeation, which was calculated from the slope of log P versus 1/T plots, was 14.41kcal/mol for a 1%(w/w) loading dose. The enhancer, such as saturated, unsaturated fatty acids, pyrrolidones, propylene glycol derivatives, glycerides, and non-ionic surfactants, were incorporated onto the gels to increase the amount of drug permeation into the skin. Among the enhancers used, polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether showed the highest level of enhancement. These results show that clotrimazole gels containing polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether could be used for the enhanced transdermal delivery of clotrimazole.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.547-552
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• 2007

Water soluble polymer, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) was chosen to conjugate with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(succinyl) (N-succinyl DPPE) to make a new drug delivery system. PVP with an amine group (amino-PVP) was polymerized by free radical polymerization. The amine group of amino-PVP was conjugated with the carboxylic group of N-succinyl DPPE. The resultant conjugate could form nanoparticles in the aqueous solution; these nanoparticles were termed a lipid-polymer system. The critical aggregation concentration was measured with pyrene to give a value of $1{\times}10^{-3}g/L$. The particle size of the lipid-polymer system, as measured by DLS, AFM and TEM, was about 70 nm. Lipophilic component in the inner part of the lipid-polymer system could derive the physical interaction with hydrophobic drugs. Griseofulvin was used as a model drug in this study. The loading efficiency and release profile of the drug were measured by HPLC. The loading efficiency was about 54%. The release behavior was sustained for a prolonged time of 12 days. The proposed lipid-polymer system with biodegradable and biocompatible properties has promising potential as a passive-targeting drug delivery carrier because of its small particle size.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.646-655
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• 2007

To achieve targeted drug delivery for chemotherapy, a ligand-mediated nanoparticulate drug carrier was designed, which could identity a specific receptor on the surfaces of tumor cells. Biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide)/poly$({\varepsilon}-caprolactone)$ (PEG/PCL) amphiphilic block copolymers coupled to biotin ligands were synthesized with a variety of PEG/PCL compositions. Block copolymeric nanoparticles harboring the anticancer drug paclitaxel were prepared via micelle formation in aqueous solution. The size of the biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles was determined by light scattering measurements to be 88-118 nm, depending on the molecular weight of the block copolymer, and remained less than 120 nm even after paclitaxel loading. From an in vitro release study, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles containing paclitaxel evidenced sustained release profiles of the drug with no initial burst effect. The biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL block copolymer itself evidenced no significant adverse effects on cell viability at $0.005-1.0{\mu}g/mL$ of nanoparticle suspension regardless of cell type (normal human fibroblasts and HeLa cells). However, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL harboring paclitaxel evidenced a much higher cytotoxicity for cancer cells than was observed in the PEG/PCL nanoparticles without the biotin group. These results showed that the biotin-conjugated nanoparticles could improve the selective delivery of paclitaxel into cancer cells via interactions with over-expressed biotin receptors on the surfaces of cancer cells.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.334-342
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• 2001

Gentamicin sulfate (GS)-loaded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)(PHBV) devices were prepared for controlled-release of antibiotics. In this study, the effects of thickness, hydroxyvalerate (HV) content, initial drug-loading ratio, and additive content on the release profile have been investigated. The morphology of devices was examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after in vitro release; their highly porous surface and cross-sectional were observed. It could be suggested that device would be affected by the packing of the HV and additive content, which would depend on their structure. A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect and quantify the release of GS from the device. The drug release from all the devices showed biphasic release patterns, and some matrices released the incorporated antibiotic throughout 30 days with a near zero-order release rate. The release patterns were shown to be changed by altering the thickness, copolymer ratio, and additive content.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.241-246
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• 2000

To develop a sustained-release preparation containing ketorolac tromethamine, two sustained-release pellet formulations were evaluated with a pharmacokinetic study as compared with a conventional commercial tablets (10 mg $Tarasyn^{TM}$, Roche Korea Ltd.). Two sustained-release formulations were as follows; formulation A was composed of an inner layer containing 75% of drug coated with $Eudragit^{TM}$ RS 100 membrane and an outer layer containing 25% of drug mixed with $Eudragit^{TM}$ NE30D, and formulation B was composed of only an inner layer containing 100% of drug coated with $Eudragit^{TM}$ RS 100 membrane. The dissolution test was performed for two formulations. In case of conventional tablets, 2.5 mg of drug per a dose was administered orally into male Albino rabbit (2.0-2.3 kg of body weight) 3 times at intervals of 4 hours. In case of two sustained formulations, 7.5 mg of drug was administered once orally. Blood samples were withdrawn periodically after the administration, and the blood concentration was determined by HPLC. The conventional tablets showed very high peak-trough fluctuation between administered doses, but two sustained formulations showed less fluctuation. Formulation A with the loading dose showed the time to reach minimum effective concentration (MEC) i.e. the onset time was less than 20 min, while Formulation B had more than 1 hr of the onset time. Formulation A had the more constant plasma level than formulation B. However, formulation B had a time lag, so the plasma level was less than MEC for an initial period of 1 hr. In formulation A, the plasma level was maintained within the therapeutic window $(0.3-5\;{\mu}g/ml)$ for a long period. Formulation A was thought to be an ideal sustained-release formulation for ketorolac tromethamine oral delivery system.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.505-510
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• 2001

The preparation, characterization and drug release behaviour of drug(indomethacin) loaded Poly(L-lactic acid)(PLA), tarmarind acetate and levan acetate mircospheres were investigated. Hydrophobic tarmarind acetate and levan acetate were prepared by chemical modification of hydrophilic tarmaried gum and levan and microspheres were made by a solvent evaporation method. In the case of poly(L-lactic acid) microspheres, drug release rate was effected by polymer-drug ratios and drum release was sustained by increasing of polymer content. The yield of microspheres were effected by many factors and the mean size was below 1 $\mu$m, The IND release profiles from tarmarind acetate and levan acetate micropheres were more slightly less than ploy(L-lactic acid) microspheres.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 1994

A new local drug delivery device to treat otitis media (OM) has been developed. This device consists of a biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) film containing antibiotic (ampicillin, AMP), which can be placed into the middle ear cavity and release the therapeutic concentration of AMP for prolonged period. Biodegradable films containing AMP (10 w/w%) were prepared by solution casting method using a suspension of the drug in a $PLLA/CH_{2}Cl_{2}$ solution (molecular weight of PLLA, 100,000 (100 K) and 300,000 (300 K), respectively). PLLA-AMP films were characterized by FTIR, DSC, and SEM. In vitro release of AMP from AMP-PLLA films were examined. The release pattern of AMP from AMP-PLLA films remained consistent from 1 day to 14 days, and the release rates of AMP from AMP-100K-PLLA film and AMP-300K-PLLA film were $0.7384\;{\mu}g/ml/day$, $0.4107\;{\mu}g/ml/day$, respectively.