Micelles entrapped microparticles technology: a novel approach to resolve dissolution and bioavailability problems of poorly water soluble drugs.

Aim: Aim of this study was to design a solid oral delivery system for a weakly basic drug such as dasatinib (DAS), so as to achieve pH-independent dissolution and improved oral bioavailability.Methods: DAS was solubilised using sodium lauryl sulphate as an aqueous micellar system and such a system containing lactose monohydrate as carrier was spray-dried to obtain a solid mass. Subsequently, the DAS-solid was converted into a tablet using conventional tableting methods.Results: The dissolution study revealed pH-independent dissolution over a wide range of pH conditions. An in vivo bioavailability testing on rats revealed an improved Cmax and AUC0-24. Similarly, viability assay showed a better inhibitory effect of spray-dried dasatinib over the DAS.Conclusions: Micellar solubilisation and spray-drying technology can be approached to resolve poor dissolution and bioavailability of drugs belonging to biopharmaceutical classification system II and III. This technology is amenable to scale-up and has commercial potential.

Ethanol production from sweet sorghum bagasse through process optimization using response surface methodology.

In this study, comparative evaluation of acid- and alkali pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) was carried out for sugar production after enzymatic hydrolysis. Results indicated that enzymatic hydrolysis of alkali-pretreated SSB resulted in higher production of glucose, xylose and arabinose, compared to the other alkali concentrations and also acid-pretreated biomass. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was, therefore, used to optimize parameters, such as alkali concentration, temperature and time of pretreatment prior to enzymatic hydrolysis to maximize the production of sugars. The independent variables used during RSM included alkali concentration (1.5-4%), pretreatment temperature (125-140 °C) and pretreatment time (10-30 min) were investigated. Process optimization resulted in glucose and xylose concentration of 57.24 and 10.14 g/L, respectively. Subsequently, second stage optimization was conducted using RSM for optimizing parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis, which included substrate concentration (10-15%), incubation time (24-60 h), incubation temperature (40-60 °C) and Celluclast concentration (10-20 IU/g-dwt). Substrate concentration 15%, (w/v) temperature of 60 °C, Celluclast concentration of 20 IU/g-dwt and incubation time of 58 h led to a glucose concentration of 68.58 g/l. Finally, simultaneous saccharification fermentation (SSF) as well as separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) was evaluated using Pichia kudriavzevii HOP-1 for production of ethanol. Significant difference in ethanol concentration was not found using either SSF or SHF; however, ethanol productivity was higher in case of SSF, compared to SHF. This study has established a platform for conducting scale-up studies using the optimized process parameters.

Increased yield of high purity recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide by acid hydrolysis of short fusion partner in Escherichia coli.

Recombinant human B-type natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) is a 32-amino acid peptide used to treat congestive heart failure. In this paper, we report a method for the increased production of rhBNP in Escherichia coli with high purity. hBNP was cloned with a short growth hormone fusion partner coupled with a unique acid-labile dipeptide linker to cleave the fusion protein to release the rhBNP. The recombinant fusion protein was expressed as an inclusion body (IB) and the fermentation process was optimized to produce on large scale. The IBs were recovered by cell lysis, and the pure IBs were directly treated with diluted acid to get the target peptide from the fusion protein and the resultant peptide was purified by reversed phase chromatography. The final purity of the rhBNP was more than 99% with yield of 50mg per liter of culture, which is ten times higher than the previous reports. The purified rhBNP exhibited specific biological activity similar to the standard peptide in producing cyclic-guanosine monophosphate.

Purification and characterisation of intracellular alpha-galactosidases from Acinetobacter sp.

Two alpha-galactosidases (Ag-I & Ag-II) were purified from Acinetobacter sp. Both the enzymes were monomeric with pH optima of 7.0 and molecular weight of 65 kDa for Ag-I and 37 kDa for Ag-II. The temperature optima for Ag-I was between 50 and 60 °C and that of Ag-II was 40 °C. Both the enzymes were strongly inhibited by metal ions Ag2+ and Hg+, pCMB and SDS (1 %). The enzymes were found to be active on both natural and synthetic substrates. Artificial substrate, pNPGal, has shown more affinity to enzyme than natural substrate raffinose. The half-life (t 1/2) of Ag-I varied from 1.85 h at 90 °C to 7.6 h at 70 °C.

Role of feed forward neural networks coupled with genetic algorithm in capitalizing of intracellular alpha-galactosidase production by Acinetobacter sp.

Alpha-galactosidase production in submerged fermentation by Acinetobacter sp. was optimized using feed forward neural networks and genetic algorithm (FFNN-GA). Six different parameters, pH, temperature, agitation speed, carbon source (raffinose), nitrogen source (tryptone), and K2HPO4, were chosen and used to construct 6-10-1 topology of feed forward neural network to study interactions between fermentation parameters and enzyme yield. The predicted values were further optimized by genetic algorithm (GA). The predictability of neural networks was further analysed by using mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and R2-value for training and testing data. Using hybrid neural networks and genetic algorithm, alpha-galactosidase production was improved from 7.5 U/mL to 10.2 U/mL.

X-ray structure of PTP1B in complex with a new PTP1B inhibitor.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a prototype non receptor cytoplasmic PTPase enzyme that has been implicated in regulation of insulin and leptin signaling pathways. Studies on PTP1B knockout mice and PTP1B antisense treated mice suggested that inhibition of PTP1B would be an effective strategy for the treatment of type II diabetes and obesity. Here we report the X-ray structure of PTP1B in complex with compound IN1834-146C (PDB ID 4I8N). The crystals belong to P3121 space group with cell dimensions (a = b = 87.89 Å, c = 103.68 Å) diffracted to 2.5 Å. The crystal structure contained one molecule of protein in the asymmetric unit and was solved by molecular replacement method. The compound engages both catalytic site and allosteric sites of PTP1B protein. We described the molecular interaction of the compound with the active site residues of PTP1B in this crystal structure report.

Recombinant approach for the production of HIV fusion inhibitor Enfuvirtide using Escherichia coli.

The use of antiretroviral drugs is gaining importance in the recent past for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Enfuvirtide (T20) is one of the fusion inhibitors, inhibits the fusion between the virus and healthy target CD4 cells. The treatment with T20 involves very high therapeutic dose. In addition to its high dose, production of T20 by synthetic methods is expensive and cumbersome. We report an alternative recombinant approach for the production of the T20 peptide through a novel short fusion-tag expression system. This expression system consists of the hydrophobic region of growth hormone (GH) as the fusion tag, a factor Xa cleavage site upstream to the T20. The fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies. We also report here, a simple and an efficient down-stream strategy for the purification of recombinant T20 peptide (rT20). Our study is the first to demonstrate a novel approach using GH fusion tag, ensured the peptide stability, for the production of rT20 which yields more than 250mg/L with 98% purity. The biological activity of the rT20 is comparable to its synthetic counterpart. Thus, this novel approach could be an alternate method of choice for production of therapeutically important small peptides.

Atorvastatin inhibited Rho-associated kinase 1 (ROCK1) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) mediated adhesion and differentiation of CD133+CD44+ prostate cancer stem cells.

Prostate cancer has become a global health concern and is one of the leading causes of cancer death of men after lung and gastric cancers. It has been suggested that the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutarylcoenzyme-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor atorvastatin shows anticancer activity in prostate cancer cell lines. To this end, we analyzed the influence of atorvastatin on the cell adhesion and differentiation of CD133(+)CD44(+) cells derived from prostate cancer biopsies and peripheral blood. CD133(+)CD44(+) cells were treated with atorvastatin (16-64µM) for different time periods. Cell adhesion to endothelial cell monolayers and differentiation into prostate cancer cells were evaluated. α1, ß1 and α2ß1 integrins adhesion receptors and the downstream target of atorvastatin Rho-dependent kinase (ROCK) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were analyzed by Western blot. Further blocking studies with the ROCK inhibitor H1152, anti-FAK antibody and anti-integrin α1 and ß1 antibodies were carried out. Atorvastatin treatment inhibited dose-dependently cell attachment to endothelium and differentiation. The inhibitory effect of atorvastatin on cell adhesion was associated with decreased expression of integrins α1 and ß1 and phosphorylated MYPT1 and FAK. Furthermore, atorvastatin strongly reduced ROCK1 and FAK mediated differentiation of CD133(+)CD44(+) cells, which was confirmed by antibody treatment. Atorvastatin modified the expression of cell adhesion molecules and differentiation markers. These beneficial effects of atorvastatin may be mediated by ROCK and FAK signaling pathway. The data presented may point to novel treatment options for prostate cancer.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of nimesulide based new class of triazole derivatives as potential PDE4B inhibitors against cancer cells.

A new class of 1,2,3-triazol derivatives derived from nimesulide was designed as potential inhibitors of PDE4B. Synthesis of these compounds was carried out via a multi-step sequence consisting of copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) as a key step in aqueous media. The required azide was prepared via the reaction of aryl amine (obtained from nimesulide) with α-chloroacetyl chloride followed by displacing the α-chloro group by an azide. Some of the synthesized compounds showed encouraging PDE4B inhibitory properties in vitro that is >50% inhibition at 30 µM that were supported by the docking studies of these compounds at the active site of PDE4B enzyme (dock scores ~ -28.6 for a representative compound). Two of these PDE4 inhibitors showed promising cytotoxic properties against HCT-15 human colon cancer cells in vitro with IC50 ~ 21-22 µg/mL.

Diphenylether derivative as selective inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) over t-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) identified through virtual screening.

Even though protein tyrosine phosphatase has been identified as a validated therapeutic target over a decade for type II diabetes and obesity, developing a selective inhibitor to protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) over other cellular PTPases has been a complicated task owing to the highly conserved and polar nature of the PTP1B catalytic site. Virtual screening study of in-house chemical depository resulted in the prioritization of few low molecular weight compounds as PTP1B inhibitors. The in-vitro pNPP assays were carried out on prioritized compounds in both PTP1B and T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP). From this we identified four low molecular weight compounds as PTP1B inhibitors, of which the compound AU-2439 has shown 5 fold selectivity towards PTP1B over highly homologous TCPTP. In this short communication selectivity of AU-2439 is explained based on interaction with critical active site residues in both proteins using docking models.

Docking studies of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Damnacanthal and Scopoletin with human lens gamma D-crystalline.

Vitamin C, Vitamin E, scopoletin and damnacanthal are the major constituents of Noni (Morinda citrifolia). These compounds are known to have good medicinal properties and they are known to act as antioxidants. Loss of vision in elderly is due to opaqueness of the lens proteins such as gamma-D-crystallin during oxidative stress conditions. Therefore, it is of importance to find the potential interaction of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Scopoletin and Damnacanthal with the lens protein gamma-D-crystallin. Hence, their physical binding to gamma-D crystallin (PDB ID: 2G98) was evaluated using molecular and structural docking procedures. Results show the potential binding of all the above anti-oxidants to gamma-D-crystalline with equal affinity. Thus, the role of cumulative anti-oxidant effect in Noni fruit juice through their potential yet predicted interaction with the lens protein gamma-D-crystallin is implied for cataract treatment.

Microparticles-entrapped micelles: a novel delivery system to improve solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble valsartan.

Surfactants are routinely included in tablets during wet or dry granulations or along with directly compressible vehicles to improve wetting, disintegration and dissolution. Besides this micellar solubilization can improve permeability of poorly soluble drugs via gastrointestinal tract membranes thereby enhancing oral bioavailability. Microparticle-entrapped micelles (MEM) technology is a novel method of incorporating surfactants in tablets for improving in vitro and in vivo performance of poorly water-soluble drugs. Valsartan (VAL) was solubilized in cremophor EL micelles at cloud point temperature; lactose was dissolved in micellar dispersion and the dispersion was directly spray-dried to obtain solid product, which was subsequently converted into tablets using suitable excipients. VAL tablets produced by applying MEM technology improved dissolution performance of valsartan tablets. These tablets exhibited superior dissolution rate over controls and marketed tablets in all media employed irrespective of pH conditions and composition.

Recombinant haemagglutinin protein of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus expressed in Pichia pastoris elicits a neutralizing antibody response in mice.

Recombinant avian influenza vaccines offer several advantages over the conventional vaccines. In this study, the haemagglutinin (HA) gene of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was cloned and expressed as His tagged protein in methylotropic yeast Pichia pastoris. The expression of recombinant HA (rHA) protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. The rHA protein was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography under denaturing conditions and the functions of the protein was assessed by the haemagglutinin assay after refolding. The immunogenicity of the rHA was evaluated by immunizing four groups of mice with different payloads (2.5, 5.0, 10 and 25µg) of purified rHA and the production of rHA specific antibodies were analysed by haemagglutinin inhibition assay (HI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An antigen specific immune response was observed against rHA indicating that the rHA antigen could be used as a vaccine candidate against avian influenza. These results suggest that this strategy would pave the way for the development of rapid and cost effective method for the production of an avian influenza vaccine.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Willd. for enhanced acetoxychavicol acetate production.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformations ensure elevated amounts of secondary metabolite accumulation with genetic and biosynthetic stability. In the present study, Alpinia galanga rich in bioactive compounds was genetically transformed using different strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes viz. LBA 9402, A(4), 532, 2364 and PRTGus. Even though a higher growth rate was obtained with the LBA 9402 strain, maximum acetoxychavicol acetate accumulation (ACA) was seen in the PRTGus transformant. PRTGus root line has shown 10.1 fold higher ACA content in comparison to the control roots. The lowest ACA production was shown by the A(4) transformant (4.9 fold). The quantification of ACA in the transformed roots was carried out by using HPLC, which was found to be in the order of PRTGus > LBA 9402 > 2364 > 532 > A(4). The fast growth rate of hairy roots, genetic stability and their ability to synthesize more than one metabolite offer a promising system for the production of valuable secondary metabolites.

Polyphenolics profile and antioxidant properties of Raphanus sativus L.

Raphanus sativus, a common cruciferous vegetable has been attributed to possess a number of pharmacological properties. Antioxidant and radical scavenging activity of R. sativus root extracted with solvents of varying polarity were evaluated using different model systems. Polyphenolic content was estimated to be in the range 13.18-63.54 mg g⁻¹ dry weight, with a considerable amount being obtained with polar solvents. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated the presence of an array of polyphenolics. Catechin was found to be the most abundant phenolic compound in water extract and sinapic acid, the predominant phenolic compound in methanolic, ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. The methanolic extract showed significant ferric reducing ability, moderate metal chelating activity and strong radical scavenging activity. The methanolic extract could be successfully utilised as an ingredient in functional foods. However, water extract could be more pertinent to human nutrition as it contained a significant amount of catechin, which was comparable to traditional sources like green and black tea.

Direct and indirect organogenesis of Alpinia galanga and the phytochemical analysis.

Alpinia galanga is a rhizomatous herb rich in essential oils and various other significant phytoconstituents. Rapid direct regeneration was obtained from the rhizome explants (15.66 ± 0.57 shoots) on MS media supplemented with zeatin at a concentration of 2 mg/l. The callus cultures of A. galanga were initiated from the rhizome explants on MS media supplemented with 2 mg/l each of BAP, 2,4-D, and NAA. The callus was analyzed for the presence of a vital phytoconstituent--acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) associated with various biological properties. ACA was detected in the young friable callus as well as the stationary phase callus. Moreover, the induction of morphogenetic response in callus resulted in higher accumulation of ACA. The phytohormone withdrawal from the propagation media and the subsequent transfer of callus to BAP (2 mg/l) containing MS media has resulted in multiple shoot induction. The regenerated (indirect) plants have shown 1.6-fold higher ACA content (1.253%) when compared to the control plant (0.783%). Micropropagation of such conventionally propagated plants is very essential to meet the commercial demand as well as to ensure easy storage and transportation of disease free stocks.

Recombinant mid gut antigen (Bm95) as a vaccine against Indian Rhiphicephalus haemaphysaloides in Bos indicus cattle.

In the present study, we report for the first time the efficacy of recombinant Bm95 mid gut antigen isolated from an Argentinean strain of Rhipicephalus microplus strain A in controlling the tick infestations in India. The synthetic gene for Bm95 optimized for expression in yeast was obtained and used to generate yeast transformants expressing Bm95 which was purified to apparent homogeneity. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the purified protein confirmed its identity as Bm95. Vaccine was prepared by blending various concentrations of purified Bm95 with aluminium hydroxide as an adjuvant. Immunogenicity studies of the vaccine in rabbits and cattle indicated that the vaccine was highly immunogenic. The efficacy studies of the vaccine was done in cattle. Naïve Bos indicus cattle were vaccinated with the recombinant vaccine and were challenged with the larval, nymphal and adult forms of Rhiphicephalus haemaphysaloides. The vaccine protected the animals from larval, nymph and adult tick challenges with an efficacy of 98.7%, 84.6% and 78.9% respectively. The results obtained from the above studies clearly demonstrated the advantage and possibilities of the use of Bm95 in controlling R. haemaphysaloides infestations in the field.

Hexane extract of Raphanus sativus L. roots inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in human cancer cells by modulating genes related to apoptotic pathway.

Raphanus sativus, a common cruciferous vegetable has been attributed to possess a number of pharmacological and therapeutic properties. It has been used in indigenous system of medicine for the treatment of various human ailments in India. This present study evaluated the chemopreventive efficacy of different parts of R. sativus such as root, stem and leaves, extracted with solvents of varying polarity and investigated the molecular mechanism leading to growth arrest and apoptotic cell death in human cancer cell lines. Of the different parts, significant growth inhibitory effect was observed with hexane extract of R. sativus root. Analysis of hexane extract by GC-MS revealed the presence of several isothiocyanates (ITCs) such as 4-(methylthio)-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC), 4-(methylthio)-3-butyl isothiocyanate (erucin), 4-methylpentyl isothiocyanate, 4-pentenyl isothiocyanate and sulforaphene. R. sativus root extract induced cell death both in p53 proficient and p53 deficient cell lines through induction of apoptotic signaling pathway regardless of the p53 status of cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying R. sativus-induced apoptosis may involve interactions among Bcl(2) family genes, as evidenced by up-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes along with activation of Caspase-3. Our findings present the first evidence that hexane extract of R. sativus root exerts potential chemopreventive efficacy and induces apoptosis in cancer cell lines through modulation of genes involved in apoptotic signaling pathway.

Alpha1 and beta1 integrins enhance the homing and differentiation of cultured prostate cancer stem cells.

CD133(+) prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) have recently been identified in human prostate cancer tissues. The present study reports the integrin profile of prostate cancer progenitor cells and the role of alpha(1) and beta(1) integrins in the homing and differentiation of PCSCs in vitro. PCSCs were isolated from the tissue specimens of patients with prostate cancer and the expression of surface integrins and adhesion patterns were determined. Our analysis of the expression of surface integrins and their adhesion patterns of prostate cancer stem cells derived from prostate cancer tissues revealed that the levels of beta(1) and alpha(2)beta(1) integrins were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of the other integrins. By contrast, peripheral blood-derived CD133(+) cells from prostate cancer patients showed a high level of expression (P < 0.01) of alpha(2)beta(1), alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(v)beta(5), beta(1) and alpha(1) integrins and a minimal expression of alpha(4)beta(1) integrins. Moreover, CD133(+) cells derived from both prostate cancer tissues and peripheral blood exhibited an increased degree of attachment to extracellular matrix proteins (P < 0.001) and a high expression level of alpha(2)beta(1) integrin. In vitro experiments using blocking antibodies indicated that alpha(1) and beta(1) integrins have a role in the homing and differentiation of PCSCs. This is the first report to suggest the importance of integrins in mediating the homing and differentiation of PCSCs.

Isolation, characterization and mobilization of prostate cancer tissue derived CD133+ MDR1+ cells.

Cancer stem cells undoubtedly exist in many tumor types, including the prostate. CD133 has recently been considered an important marker that represents the subset population of cancer stem cells. The purpose of the present study is to isolate CD133+ and CD133- cells from normal healthy volunteers and prostate cancer patients to check the prostate stem cells markers and chemokine receptors like CXCR4 for their mobilization. In this study we isolated CD133+ and CD133- cells using magnetic beads from prostate tissues and peripheral blood samples of normal healthy volunteers and prostate cancer patients (NV-CD133+, NV-CD133-, PC-CD133+ and PC-CD133-). The isolated cells were analyzed using flow cytometry and western blot analysis of MDR1, alpha2beta1, CD44, Oct-4 and CXCR4. PC-CD133+ cells displayed higher expressions of CD44, MDR1, Oct-4 and alpha2beta1 expressions with the ability to differentiate into prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, PC-CD133+, highly expressed the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand SDF1-alpha. Here we conclude that, PC-CD133+ displayed a higher expression of prostate stem cell markers like CD44, MDR1 and Oct-4 and chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand SDF1-alpha in peripheral blood and prostate cancer tissue derived CD133+ cells The CXCR4 and SDF1-alpha expressions will have impact on the mobilization of prostate cancer stem cells (PC-CD133+ cells).