Benchtop MRI for pharmacokinetic evaluation of two aqueous-based nano-scaled formulations of oleic acid stabilized magnetite nanocrystals.

BACKGROUND: The interplay between numerous factors, including the size, shape, coating, surface charge and composition of particles is known to affect the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIOs). This makes understanding the role of each factor independently quite challenging. METHODS: In the present study, the in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), biodistribution and hepatic clearance evaluations of two SPIOs Formulations A and B developed from ∼13.5 nm hydrophobic oleic acid stabilized monodisperse magnetite nanocrystals core and lipid-based amphiphilic stabilizers were performed using a prototype benchtop MR imager (22 MHz) and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system (20 MHz), respectively. Formulation A was composed of mPEG-2000-DSPE and Formulation B was composed of Phospholipon-100H, sucrose ester M-1695 and Cremophor RH-40. RESULTS: The in vivo MRI investigations showed that both formulations were safe and effective as potential liver MR contrast agents with sustained liver contrast for at least seven days. In addition, ex vivo relaxometric investigations revealed that the formulations predominantly distribute to the liver and spleen following I.V. injection. The hepatic clearance kinetics determined based on the relaxometric quantification method indicated that both formulations exhibited a biphasic clearance process with a slow terminal clearance half-life of 11.5 and 12.7 days, respectively, for Formulations A and B. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed the potential biomedical applications of the investigated magnetopharmaceutical formulations as MRI contrast agents.

Improved stability and cell response by intrinsic cross-linking of multilayers from collagen I and oxidized glycosaminoglycans.

Stability of surface coatings against environmental stress, such as pH, high ionic strength, mechanical forces, and so forth, is crucial for biomedical application of implants. Here, a novel extracellular-matrix-like polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) system composed of collagen I (Col I) and oxidized glycosaminoglycans (oGAGs) was stabilized by intrinsic cross-linking due to formation of imine bonds between aldehydes of oxidized chondroitin sulfate (oCS) or hyaluronan (oHA) and amino groups of Col I. It was also found that Col I contributed significantly more to overall mass in CS-Col I than in HA-Col I multilayer systems and fibrillized particularly in the presence of native and oxidized CS. Adhesion and proliferation studies with murine C3H10T1/2 embryonic fibroblasts demonstrated that covalent cross-linking of oGAG with Col I had no adverse effects on cell behavior. By contrast, it was found that cell size and polarization was more pronounced on oGAG-based multilayer systems, which corresponded also to the higher stiffness of cross-linked multilayers as observed by studies with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Overall, PEMs prepared from oGAG and Col I give rise to stable PEM constructs due to intrinsic cross-linking that may be useful for making bioactive coatings of implants and tissue engineering scaffolds.

Novel aqueous nano-scaled formulations of oleic acid stabilized hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals.

BACKGROUND: Novel aqueous nano-scaled formulations were developed for hydrophobic oleic acid stabilized monodisperse superparamagnetic magnetite nanocrystals. METHODS: In the study, single and mixed lipid amphiphiles based on Cremophor RH-40 (Crem-RH-40), Solutol HS-15 (Sol-HS-15), Phospholipon-100H (PL-100H) and sucrose ester M-1695 (SE-M-1695) were employed at varying concentrations. Isotonicity and physiological pH adjustments were achieved by using 5% w/v mannitol in 10 mM pH 7.4 phosphate buffer. Mannitol also served as lyoprotectant for the freeze drying of selected formulation. The developed formulations were characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and asymmetric flow field flow fractionation methods for their size and size distributions and morphologies were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Moreover, the potential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent application of a selected formulation was investigated by (1)H-NMR relaxometric measurements. RESULTS: The results showed that stable formulations of the nanocrystals with hydrodynamic diameters generally below 100 nm were obtained. Among the developed formulations, the one prepared with 0.75% Crem-RH-40, 0.5% PL-100H and 0.25% SE-M-1695 had a mean hydrodynamic diameter of ~64 nm and zeta potential of -20 mV. This formulation exhibited low degree of aggregation, high level of incorporation of magnetite nanocrystals and very good stability profile over a period of 6 months. In addition, it showed transverse and longitudinal relaxivities of 221.8 and 32.1 s(-1)·mM(-1), respectively with r(2)/r(1) ratio of 6.9. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that mixed lipid-based amphiphiles allow stable aqueous formulations of the normally challenging hydrophobic magnetite nanocrystals with potential in vivo MRI contrast applications.

Surface activity of a monoclonal antibody.

The development of high concentration antibody formulations presents a major challenge for the formulation scientist, as physical characteristics and stability behavior change compared to low concentration protein formulations. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential correlation between surface activity and shaking stress stability of a model antibody-polysorbate 20 formulation. The surface activities of pure antibody and polysorbate 20 were compared, followed by a study on the influence of a model antibody on the apparent critical micelle concentration (CMC) of polysorbate 20 over a protein concentration range from 10 to 150 mg/mL. In a shaking stress experiment, the stability of 10, 75, and 150 mg/mL antibody formulations was investigated containing different concentrations of polysorbate 20, both below and above the CMC. The antibody increased significantly the apparent CMC of antibody-polysorbate 20 mixtures in comparison to the protein-free buffer. However, the concentration of polysorbate required for stabilization of the model antibody in a shaking stress experiment did not show dependence on the CMC. A polysorbate 20 level of 0.005% was found sufficient to stabilize both at low and high antibody concentration against antibody aggregation and precipitation.

Evaluation of the immuno-stimulatory potential of stopper extractables and leachables by using dendritic cells as readout.

Recombinant protein pharmaceuticals may bear some risks and undesirable side effects, such as the appearance of immunogenic reactions. The increased incidence of antibody-mediated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) outside the United States after administration of a human serum albumin (HSA)-free EPREX (recombinant human erythropoietin alpha) formulation was explained with the generation of rubber stopper related leachables, possibly acting as immunogenic adjuvants. In our study, we have investigated the potential of extractable and leachable preparations of three different pharmaceutical relevant stoppers to generate a "danger signal" in a dendritic cell assay. Furthermore, the investigated extractable and leachable preparations were characterized by NMR and a micelle-based polysorbate quantification method. In summary, we could demonstrate that stopper extractables, either generated by extraction or by leaching conditions, were not acting as danger signals for dendritic cells. Instead we identified degradation products of polysorbate 80, oleic acid and follow-up products, occur only under very accelerated conditions (100 degrees C for 4 days) as a potential stimulator for these immune cells. As this degradation did not occur at real-time, the authors however do not consider their finding to be linked to any direct safety implications of polysorbate-containing formulations in clinical practice.

Physico-chemical characterization of polysaccharide-coated nanoparticles.

A series of amphiphilic copolymers (PCL-DEX) made of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) side chains grafted onto a dextran (DEX) backbone, was used to modify the surface of PCL nanoparticles. PCL-DEX nanoparticles were prepared by a technique derived from emulsion-solvent evaporation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the DEX coating (quantification, conformation, mobility) in order to better understand particle surface-protein interactions. The DEX coating was deeply examined using different complementary methods: zeta potential measurement, specific degradation of the DEX shell by dextranase, energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy coupled to image-spectrum electron energy-loss spectroscopy, electronic paramagnetic resonance, high performance size exclusion chromatography as well as nonspecific bovine serum albumin adsorption. All our data together supported a core-shell structure of the nanoparticles, DEX moieties constituting the external coating. The amount of DEX located on the nanoparticle surface was estimated to 70%. The organisation of the shell including chains density and mobility was found to be dramatically influenced by DEX molar mass. The steric repulsion conferred by the presence of DEX at the surface of the nanoparticles decreased the adsorption of albumin. The nanoparticle-protein interaction was, however, greatly influenced by the polysaccharide conformation onto the surface.