[Comparative study on pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of a novel microemulsion based on the paclitaxel/L-OH lipid complex and paclitaxel injection in cremophor].

The pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions of the novel paclitaxel microemulsion based on the L-OH lipid complex made in our laboratory were studied in this article with the commercial paclitaxel injection in cremophor as reference preparation by injected intravenously with single dose of 5 mg x kg(-1) in rats. LC-MS/MS method was used to determine the drug concentration in plasma and calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters. [3H]-paclitaxel was used to reveal the tissue distributions of different organs in 0.5 h, 3 h, 24 h and 120 h. The results indicated that the AUC of the emulsion group descended to 42.55%, with the CLz and Vz increased by 2.27 times and 3.81 times respectively. Tissue distribution results revealed that the emulsion showed a significantly increase in liver and spleen with a peak concentration up to 5 times; a slightly increase was observed in lung with no statistical differences; a significantly decrease in heart, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow, aorta, thymus, pancreas, fat, muscle, skin, seminal vesicle, reproductive organs and brain with a drop of 40%-80%. These results indicated that paclitaxel microemulsion based on L-OH lipid complexes can remarkably reduced the blood exposure, accelerate plasma clearance rate and increase distribution volume. The fact that paclitaxel microemulsion tended to be uptake by reticuloendothelial system (RES) contributed to the target in liver, spleen and lung, and help to reduce the toxicity in blood, heart, kidney and gastrointestinal tract.

Formulation, characterization and hypersensitivity evaluation of an intravenous emulsion loaded with a paclitaxel-cholesterol complex.

The objective of this paper was to develop a novel Cremophor-free, autoclave stable, intravenous emulsion for paclitaxel (PACE). A paclitaxel-cholesterol complex was used as the drug carrier to improve the solubility of paclitaxel in the oil phase of emulsions. The complex and PACE were prepared by rotary evaporation and high-pressure homogenization, respectively. Effects of oil phases, emulsifiers and pH values on the characteristics of PACE were investigated. PACE was characterized with regard to its appearance, morphology, osmolality, pH value, particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and stability. Hypersensitivity was evaluated by guinea pig hypersensitivity reaction. The final formulation was composed of the complex, soybean oil, medium-chain triglyceridel, soybean lecithin, poloxamer 188 and glycerol. The resulting PACE had an encapsulation efficiency of 97.3% with a particle size of 135 nm and a zeta potential of -38.3 mV. Osmolality and pH of the formulation were 383 mOsmol/kg and 4.5, respectively. The formulation survived autoclaving at 115 °C for 30 min and remained stable for at least 12 months at 6 °C. PACE also exhibited a better tolerance than an equal dose of Cremophor-based paclitaxel injection in guinea pigs, as no obvious hypersensitivity reaction was observed. These results suggested that PACE has a great potential for industrial-scale production and clinical applications.

Transdermal delivery of insulin using microneedle rollers in vivo.

This study characterizes skin perforation by commercially available microneedle rollers and evaluates the efficacy of transdermal delivery of insulin to diabetic rats. Three different needle lengths, 250, 500 and 1000 microm, were used in this work. Creation and resealing of the skin holes that were produced by the needles were observed by Evan's blue (EB) staining and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements. EB clearly showed that microchannels were formed in the skin and that the pores created by the longest microneedle (1000 microm) persisted no longer than 8h, while the hypodermic injury was still observed 24h later. TEWL significantly increased after the application of the needles and then decreased with time, which explains the recovery of skin barrier function and agrees well with EB results. The extent of permeation was demonstrated by insulin delivery in vivo. The rapid reduction of blood glucose levels in 1h was caused by the increased permeability of the skin to insulin after applying microneedle rollers. The reduced decrease after 1h is closely associated with hole recovery. In conclusion, microneedle rollers with 500-microm or shorter lengths are safe and useful in transdermal delivery of insulin in vivo.