The aim of this study was to develop a novel predictive medium-throughput screening method for drug permeability, with use of a tight barrier of liposomes on a filter support. To our knowledge no one has succeeded in depositing membrane barriers without the use of inert solvent such as hexadecane. The first part of the study involved development of a protocol for preparation of these barriers, which were made of liposomes from egg phosphatidylcholin in phosphate buffer pH 7.4 with 10 % (v/v) ethanol. The liposomes were deposited into the pores and onto the surface of a filter support (mixed cellulose ester) by use of centrifugation.Solvent evaporation and freeze-thaw cycling were then used to promote fusion of liposomes and a tight barrier could be obtained as shown with calcein permeability and electrical resistance. In the second part of the study the model was validated using 21 drug compounds, which cover a wide range of physicochemical properties and absorption (F a ) in humans (13-100%). The drug permeation studies were carried out at room temperature with phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) in both acceptor and donor chambers. The apparent permeability coefficients obtained from the phospholipid vesicle based model correlated well with literature data on human absorption in vivo, which suggests that its performance is adequate and that the method is suitable for rapid screening of passive transport of new chemical entities. The results obtained from our model were compared with polar surface area (PSA) and experimental log D and results obtained by established permeability screening methods such as immobilised liposome chromatography (ILC), the PAMPA models and the Caco-2 model.Our approach seems to model the in vivo absorption better than PSA, experimental log D, the ILC and PAMPA models, when similar conditions are used as in our assay, and equally well as the Caco-2 model and the Double Sink PAMPA (DS-PAMPA) model. 2

Intratumoral and local drug delivery strategies have gained momentum recently as a promising modality in cancer therapy. In order to deliver paclitaxel at the tumor site in therapeutically relevant concentrations, chitosan films were fabricated. Paclitaxel could be loaded at 31% wt/wt in films, which were translucent and flexible. Physicochemical characterization of paclitaxel via thermal, spectroscopic, x-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy techniques revealed information on solid-state properties of paclitaxel as well as chitosan in films. While chitosan was in amorphous form, paclitaxel seemed to be present in both amorphous and crystalline forms in film. The polymeric dispersion of paclitaxel in poloxamer formed fibrous structures generating discontinuities in the film matrix, thereby leading to the introduction of perturbations in the packing arrangement of polymer chains. These films released only 10% to 15% of loaded paclitaxel by a burst effect under in vitro testing conditions, with lysozyme having no effect on the release. However, films softened after implantation in mice and lost integrity over time. The implantable delivery system is not only biodegradable but also well tolerated in vivo and hence, biocompatible as revealed by histological studies. The lack of formulation-induced local inflammatory responses of paclitaxel chitosan films suggests a new paradigm for localized chemotherapy based on implantable systems.

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These data suggest that spherulites have a protective effect against acute cardiovascular failure following intoxication with amitriptyline and possibly other cardiotoxic drugs. It appears that the beneficial effects derived from the formulation infusion involved restoration of both haemodynamic and metabolic oxygen demands on the heart.