Spontaneous association of hydrophobized dextran and poly-beta-cyclodextrin into nanoassemblies. Formation and interaction with a hydrophobic drug.

New nanoassemblies were instantaneously prepared by mixing two aqueous solutions, one containing a beta-cyclodextrin polymer (pbetaCD), and the other a hydrophobically modified by alkyl chains dextran (MD). The formation mechanism and the inner structure of these nanoassemblies were analysed using surface tension measurements and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The effect of a hydrophobic guest molecule, such as benzophenone (BZ), on the formation and stability of the nanoassemblies was also evaluated. MD exhibited the typical behaviour of a soluble amphiphilic molecule and adsorbed at the air/water interface. Whereas the injection of native beta-CDs in the solution beneath the adsorbed MD monolayer did not produce any change in the surface tension, that of the pbetaCD resulted in an increase in the surface tension, indicating the desorption of the polymer from the interface. This result accounts for a cooperative effect of beta-CDs linked together in the pbetaCD polymer on dextran desorption. The presence of benzophenone in the system hindered the sequestration of dextran alkyl moieties by beta-CD in the polymer without impeding the formation of associative nanoassemblies of 100-200 nm. (1)H NMR investigations demonstrated that, in the BZ-loaded nanoassemblies, the hydrophobic molecule was mainly located into the cyclodextrin cavities.

Phase behavior of fully hydrated DMPC-amphiphilic cyclodextrin systems.

With the aim of exploring relationships between the chemical structure and the physico-chemical properties of amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrin, a reappraisal of the obtaining of pure heptakis (2,3-di-O-hexanoyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CDC(6)) was undertaken. In this paper the chemical characterization of the newly synthesized beta-CDC(6) and its ability to form mixed structures with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) are reported. Miscibility of the two amphiphiles is examined: (i) in monolayers formed at the air-water interface by analyzing the surface pressure-area isotherms; and (ii) in fully hydrated mixtures by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction at small and wide angles. Results demonstrate that the beta-cyclodextrin derivative is partially miscible to the phospholipid: intimate mixing occurs at beta-CDC(6) molar ratios smaller than 7-15 mol%, depending on the dimensional scale considered, while beyond these compositions phase separation is observed. At the air-water interface, the miscibility region of the two compounds shows non-ideal behavior characterized by the non-additivity of the molecular areas in the mixed monolayers. At the three-dimension level, the formation of a beta-CDC(6)/DMPC mixed lamellar phase occurs except at beta-CDC(6) molar ratios close to 5 mol% at which a highly ordered structure is depicted below the solid-to-liquid state transition of the DMPC hydrocarbon chains. At beta-CDC(6) contents higher than 7 mol%, the mixed assemblies coexist with excess amphiphilic cyclodextrin which then forms a separated hexagonal structure.

Drug-Cyclodextrin Association Constants Determined by Surface Tension and Surface Pressure Measurements.

The complexation reaction between the amphiphilic peptide antibiotic polymyxin B and naturally occurring cyclodextrins, used as potential drug carriers, was quantitatively evaluated from surface tension measurements at various drug concentrations. The association constant, Ka, of polymyxin B:beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex formation of 1:1 stoichiometry was determined from the change in the drug interfacial activity upon the addition of beta-cyclodextrin at the excess solution concentration (10(-3) M). The obtained Ka value is discussed in terms of molecular matching of the host cyclodextrin cavity and the guest drug molecule. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Drug-Cyclodextrin Association Constants Determined by Surface Tension and Surface Pressure Measurements.

The compression of water-insoluble drug monolayers spread on the aqueous subphase containing cyclodextrins (CD) led to a shift of surface pressure (pi)-area (A) isotherms toward smaller molecular areas with respect to the pi-A isotherms on the pure water subphase. The displacement of the compression isotherm obtained for the retinol spread on the beta-CD containing aqueous subphase was used to quantify the depletion process and to determine the drug-CD association constants. The proposed method appeared to be sensitive enough to account for extremely low amounts of sequestered drug molecules. The obtained values of the association constants Ka ranged from about 1.4.10(-2) to 36 m2/mol. The magnitudes of these constants are discussed in terms of drug bioavailability and of the stoichiometry of retinol-beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex which was shown to have a 1:1 correspondence. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

An attempt to use artificial membranes to investigate cellular membrane permeation--application to nitroglycerin and isosorbide dinitrate.

The pharmacodynamic efficiency of nitroglycerin (TNG) is 3 to 4 times higher than that of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). In a previous work the authors have shown that this difference is partially due to the transmembrane diffusion potential of the molecules. The aim of this present study is to confirm this hypothesis by using artificial solid lipid membranes and thus to validate the method which will be used to predict the transmembrane diffusion of drugs. Two types of artificial membranes, having nearly the same liposolvent properties as the biological membrane, are tested to investigate intracellular drug penetration. These artificial membranes are fitted on the Dibbern's three phases apparatus: the Resomat 2. The results are in accordance with the data obtained on erythrocyte membranes showing that both drugs have a good transmembrane diffusibility and also that TNG presents a quicker intracellular penetration than ISDN. These results contribute to validate this method, using artificial membranes, to predict the intracellular penetration of molecules.