betadex and albendazole-sulfoxide

Drug repositioning refers to the identification of new therapeutic indications for drugs already approved. Albendazole and ricobendazole have been used as anti-parasitic drugs for many years; their therapeutic action is based on the inhibition of microtubule formation. Therefore, the study of their properties as antitumor compounds and the design of an appropriate formulation for cancer therapy is an interesting issue to investigate. The selected compounds are poorly soluble in water, and consequently, they have low and erratic bioavailability. In order to improve their biopharmaceutics properties, several formulations employing cyclodextrin inclusion complexes were developed. To carefully evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of these drugs and their complexes, several studies were performed on a breast cancer cell line (4T1) and BALB/c mice. In vitro studies showed that albendazole presented improved antitumor activity compared with ricobendazole. Furthermore, albendazole:citrate-β-cyclodextrin complex decreased significantly 4T1 cell growth both in in vitro and in vivo experiments. Thus, new formulations for anti-parasitic drugs could help to reposition them for new therapeutic indications, offering safer and more effective treatments by using a well-known drug.

Topics: Albendazole; Animals; Antiparasitic Agents; beta-Cyclodextrins; Biological Availability; Cell Proliferation; Cyclodextrins; Drug Repositioning; Female; Humans; MCF-7 Cells; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Random Allocation; Treatment Outcome; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms; X-Ray Diffraction

Post-injection precipitation may cause poor and erratic drug absorption and tissue irritation at the injection site. Tissue tolerance and pharmacokinetics of a low pH ricobendazole (RBZ) injectable containing 20% hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) were simultaneously investigated after subcutaneous injection in sheep compared to a reference formulation without HP-beta-CD. Each animal received a RBZ containing formulation on one side of the back and the respective vehicle on the contralateral side. The HP-beta-CD vehicle showed good tissue tolerance and the acidic solution caused minimal injection site reactions. Both RBZ containing formulations caused pain on injection and tissue histological changes in some animals. Lack of elevation of plasma creatine kinase indicated that none of the formulations caused significant damage to the underlying muscle tissue. Compared to the reference formulation, AUC and C(max) of the HP-beta-CD formulation were 1.6 and 2.2 times higher, respectively, whereas t(max), MRT and t(1/2) were significantly shorter suggesting faster and greater absorption of RBZ in the presence of HP-beta-CD. This was attributed to the effect of inhibition of post-injection drug precipitation and drug absorption enhancement of HP-beta-CD. In conclusion, HP-beta-CD was shown to be a tissue-compatible excipient with potential to inhibit post-injection precipitation and increase absorption of poorly water soluble drugs. Additionally, the HP-beta-CD formulation showed promise as an injectable that potentially minimizes irritation by reducing the dose required.

Topics: 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin; Absorption; Albendazole; Animals; Anthelmintics; beta-Cyclodextrins; Creatine Kinase; Excipients; Female; Injections, Subcutaneous; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Sheep; Solubility

The aim of the study was to investigate the tissue tolerance and bioavailability of four formulations containing 5% ricobendazole solubilised at low pH, following subcutaneous injection in sheep. Formulations were: a water-in-oil emulsion, a microemulsion, a hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD, 20%) drug solution, and a low-pH drug solution (reference).. In-vitro cytotoxicity of the formulations was investigated in L929 fibroblasts using MTS viability and lactate dehydrogenase leakage assays. Each formulation and respective vehicle was injected into either side of the back of a sheep to investigate the tissue tolerance and pharmacokinetics.. In-vitro studies suggested that both the emulsion and the microemulsion are unlikely to give a burst release of the low-pH drug solution in aqueous media. The microemulsion showed the greatest in-vitro cytotoxic effect but no significant difference was observed between the other formulations. In sheep, the three new formulations and vehicles caused little or no injection-site reactions compared with a marked response to the reference formulation. Bioavailabilities of HP-beta-CD formulation, emulsion and microemulsion formulations, relative to the reference formulation, were 194, 155 and 115%, respectively.. The three new subcutaneous injectables showed promise for reducing irritation of low-pH solubilised ricobendazole. HP-beta-CD significantly enhanced the drug absorption. Controlling the burst release of the low-pH drug solution may improve tissue tolerance and minimise post-injection precipitation, and hence increase drug bioavailability. The in-vitro cytotoxicity studies did not predict the in-vivo irritation effects.

Topics: Albendazole; Animals; beta-Cyclodextrins; Biological Availability; Cell Line; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Drug Carriers; Emulsions; Fibroblasts; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Injections; Injections, Subcutaneous; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Sheep

The physicochemical properties of ricobendazole (RBZ) were characterized using conventional methods. Solubility in some pharmaceutical solvents, pH-solubility, ionization properties, and lipophilicity are described. The solubility of RBZ in water is 62 mug/mL and very poor in common pharmaceutical solvents, for example, oils (<0.25 mg/mL in all the tested oils) or ethanol (1.2 mg/mL) and propylene glycol (2.6 mg/mL), and slightly higher in dipolar solvents, DMSO (16.5 mg/mL). U-shaped pH-solubility profile in aqueous solutions indicates RBZ is an ampholyte. pK(a) values measured by absorbance spectroscopy and pH solubility methods were 3.45 and 3.76 for the basic group and 9.82 and 9.53 for the non-basic nitrogen, respectively. Combination of low pH and surfactant/co-solvent mixtures also improved solubility. RBZ formed a 1:1 complex with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) with a binding constant (K(1:1)) of 311/M1. Apparent partition coefficients of RBZ were 14.3-15.2 at pH 6-9 and reduced at higher or lower pH. In conclusion, traditional organic co-solvents, pH-adjustment or complexation (with HP-beta-CD) approaches are unlikely to yield sufficient solubility for formulation of RBZ solutions for subcutaneous injection and novel approaches should be considered.

Topics: 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin; Albendazole; Algorithms; beta-Cyclodextrins; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Chemistry, Physical; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Lipids; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Solubility; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet

Albendazole (ABZ) is a benzimidazole anthelmintic drug used in the treatment of neurocysticercosis. After oral administration, ABZ is rapidly oxidized to albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), which has an asymmetric sulfur center, and later to albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2). ABZSO is the active metabolite responsible for the therapeutic effect of the drug. Previous studies have demonstrated pharmacokinetic differences between the two enantiomers, with the predominance of (+)-ABZSO in human biological fluids. This article describes for the first time the enantioselective analysis of ABZSO in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using capillary electrophoresis. The samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform:isopropanol (8:2 v/v). The resolution of ABZSO enantiomers was obtained with a fused-silica capillary (60 cm x 75 microm ID) using 20 mmol/L Tris, pH 7.0, with 3.0% w/w sulfated beta-cyclodextrin as running buffer. The coefficient of variations and % relative error obtained for both within-day and between-days assays were lower than 15%. The method was linear over the concentration range of 100 to 2,500 ng/mL for each enantiomer, indicating that it is suitable for the analysis of ABZSO enantiomers in CSF from patients medicated with ABZ.

Topics: 2-Propanol; Albendazole; Anthelmintics; beta-Cyclodextrins; Chloroform; Cyclodextrins; Electrophoresis, Capillary; Humans; Indicators and Reagents; Quality Control; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stereoisomerism