1-monooleoyl-rac-glycerol and carbitol

This study investigated the transdermal permeability of baicalin, a hydrophobic and readily hydrolyzed drug, delivered by glyceryl monooleate (GMO)-based cubic phase gel (CPG) mediated with Transcotol(®) P (TP, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether). A range of CPGs was produced by varying GMO, water, and TP levels. Examination of their physicochemical properties revealed that the optically isotropic CPG showed higher viscosity than lamellar phase gels (LPG), and the baicalin cargo increased CPG viscosity. The GMO:TP ratio and water content also altered viscosity. CPG-mediated delivery increased baicalin's skin permeation, with 76.65- to 200.24-fold higher (p<0.05) transdermal flux than that of a Carbopol(®)-based hydrogel (HDG), and 6.72- to 17.55-fold (p<0.05) higher than that of LPG, with the same water content. Rat in vivo microdialysis showed that CPG produced sustained baicalin release, with superior pharmacokinetic parameters to those of HDG. Furthermore, cutaneous drug absorption was more efficient on rat abdominal skin, compared to that in the chest or scapular region. Effective fusion between the CPG lipid matrix and the stratum corneum may explain this enhancement of transdermal permeation. CPG containing TP therefore, achieved excellent transdermal drug delivery and good baicalin stability, indicating that this system represents a promising transdermal delivery vehicle.

Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Animals; Drug Stability; Ethylene Glycols; Flavonoids; Gels; Glycerides; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Mice, Nude; Microdialysis; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Skin; Skin Absorption

Microemulsions show significant promise for enhancing the oral bioavailability of biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) class II drugs, but how about class III drugs remains unclear. Here we employed metformin hydrochloride (MET) as the model drug and prepared drug-loaded water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions selecting different hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) surfactant systems, using HLB 8 as a cut-off. We examined the phase behaviors of microemulsions after dilution and attempted to correlate these behaviors to drug oral bioavailability. ME-A, including a lower content of surfactants (35%), underwent a transition of W/O emulsion and then became a stable O/W emulsion in a light milky appearance; ME-B, in contrast, introducing a higher content of surfactants (45%), still remained transparent or semitransparent upon dilution. Unexpectedly, ME-A showed significantly higher oral bioavailability, which can be reduced by blocking the lymphatic absorption pathway. Comparatively, the AUC of ME-B is lower, close to MET solution. Both microemulsions behaved similarly in intestinal perfusion test because of the dilution before perfusion, lacking of the important phase transition of W/O emulsion. These findings suggest that W/O microemulsions improve oral bioavailability of BCS class III drug by promoting lymphatic absorption. Analyzing the phase behavior of microemulsions after dilution may help predict the drug oral bioavailability and optimize formulations.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Biological Availability; Emulsions; Ethylene Glycols; Glycerides; Glycerol; Hexoses; Hypoglycemic Agents; Intestinal Absorption; Intestinal Mucosa; Linoleic Acids; Male; Metformin; Oleic Acids; Organic Chemicals; Phase Transition; Polysorbates; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Solubility; Surface-Active Agents; Water

Silymarin is a standardized extract from Silybum marianum seeds, known for its many skin benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, the potential of several microemulsion formulations for dermal delivery of silymarin was evaluated. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed for the various microemulsion formulations which were prepared using glyceryl monooleate, oleic acid, ethyl oleate, or isopropyl myristate as the oily phase; a mixture of Tween 20®, Labrasol®, or Span 20® with HCO-40® (1:1 ratio) as surfactants; and Transcutol® as a cosurfactant. Oil-in-water microemulsions were selected to incorporate 2% w/w silymarin. After six heating-cooling cycles, physical appearances of all microemulsions were unchanged and no drug precipitation occurred. Chemical stability studies showed that microemulsion containing Labrasol® and isopropyl myristate stored at 40°C for 6 months showed the highest silybin remaining among others. The silybin remainings depended on the type of surfactant and were sequenced in the order of: Labrasol® > Tween 20® > Span 20®. In vitro release studies showed prolonged release for microemulsions when compared to silymarin solution. All release profiles showed the best fits with Higuchi kinetics. Non-occlusive in vitro skin permeation studies showed absence of transdermal delivery of silybin. The percentages of silybin in skin extracts were not significantly different among the different formulations (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, some silybin was detected in the receiver fluid when performing occlusive experiments. Microemulsions containing Labrasol® also were found to enhance silymarin solubility. Other drug delivery systems with occlusive effect could be further developed for dermal delivery of silymarin.

Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Delayed-Action Preparations; Drug Carriers; Drug Stability; Emulsions; Ethylene Glycols; Glycerides; Hexoses; Kinetics; Models, Chemical; Myristates; Oils; Oleic Acid; Oleic Acids; Organic Chemicals; Permeability; Polysorbates; Silymarin; Skin; Skin Absorption; Solubility; Surface-Active Agents; Swine; Technology, Pharmaceutical

This study reports on the formation of a low viscosity H(II) mesophase at room temperature upon addition of Transcutol (diethylene glycol mono ethyl ether) or ethanol to the ternary mixture of GMO (glycerol monooleate)/TAG (tricaprylin)/water. The microstructure and bulk properties were characterized in comparison with those of the low viscosity HII mesophase formed in the ternary GMO/TAG/water mixture at elevated temperatures (35-40 degrees C). We characterized the role of Transcutol or ethanol as inducers of disorder and surfactant mobility. The techniques used were rheology, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS, respectively), NMR (self-diffusion and (2)H NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The incorporation of either Transcutol or ethanol induced the formation of less ordered HII mesophases with smaller domain sizes and lattice parameters at room temperature (up to 30 degrees C), similar to those found for the GMO/TAG/water mixture at more elevated temperatures (35-40 degrees C). On the basis of our measurements, we suggest that Transcutol or ethanol causes dehydration of the GMO headgroups and enhances the mobility of the GMO chains. As a result, these two small molecules, which compete for water with the GMO polar headgroups, may increase the curvature of the cylindrical micelles and also perhaps reduce their length. This results in the formation of fluid H(II) structures at room temperature (up to 30 degrees C). It is possible that these phases are a prelude to the H(II)-L(2) transformation, which takes place above 35 degrees C.

Topics: Caprylates; Ethanol; Ethylene Glycols; Glycerides; Phase Transition; Temperature; Triglycerides; Viscosity; Water; Wettability

Silymarin has been used to treat hepatobiliary diseases. However, it has a low bioavailability after being administered orally on account of its low solubility in water. In order to improve the dissolution rate, silymarin was formulated in the form of a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS). The optimum formulation of SMEDDS containing silymarin was obtained based on the study of pseudo-ternary phase diagram. The SMEDDS consisted of 15% silymarin, 10% glyceryl monooleate as the oil phase, a mixture of polysorbate 20 and HCO-50 (1:1) as the surfactant, Transcutol as the cosurfactant with a surfactant/cosurfactant ratio of 1. The mean droplet size of the oil phase in the microemulsion formed from the SMEDDS was 67 nm. The % release of silybin from the SMEDDS after 6 hours was 2.5 times higher than that from the reference capsule. After its oral administration to rats, the bioavailability of the drug from the SMEDDS was 3.6 times higher than the reference capsule.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antioxidants; Biological Availability; Capsules; Castor Oil; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Drug Compounding; Drug Delivery Systems; Emulsions; Ethylene Glycols; Excipients; Glycerides; Male; Oils; Particle Size; Polysorbates; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Silybin; Silymarin; Solubility; Surface-Active Agents; Time Factors; Water