No abstract

The objective of this study was the investigation of permeation enhancing and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibition effects of a novel thiolated chitosan, the so-named S-protected thiolated chitosan. Mediated by a carbodiimide, increasing amounts of thioglycolic acid (TGA) were covalently bound to chitosan (CS) in the first step of modification. In the second step, these thiol groups of thiolated chitosan were protected by disulfide bond formation with the thiolated aromatic residue 6-mercaptonicotinamide (6-MNA). Mucoadhesive properties of all conjugates were evaluated in vitro on porcine intestinal mucosa based on tensile strength investigations. Permeation enhancing effects were evaluated ex vivo using rat intestinal mucosa and in vitro via Caco-2 cells using the hydrophilic macromolecule FD(4) as the model drug. Caco-2 cells were further used to show P-gp inhibition effects by using Rho-123 as P-gp substrate. Apparent permeability coefficients (P(app)) were calculated and compared to values obtained from each buffer control. Three different thiolated chitosans were generated in the first step of modification, which displayed increasing amounts of covalently attached free thiol groups on the polymer backbone. In the second modification step, more than 50% of these free thiol groups were covalently linked with 6-MNA. Within 3 h of permeation studies on excised rat intestine, P(app) values of all S-protected chitosans were at least 1.3-fold higher compared to those of corresponding thiomers and more than twice as high as that of unmodified chitosan. Additional permeation studies on Caco-2 cells confirmed these results. Because of the chemical modification and higher amount of reactive thiol groups, all S-protected thiolated chitosans exhibit at least 1.4-fold pronounced P-gp inhibition effects in contrast to their corresponding thiomers. These features approve S-protected thiolated chitosan as a promising excipient for various drug delivery systems providing improved permeation enhancing and efflux inhibition effects.

No abstract

No abstract

The objective of this study was to synthesize 6-(2-acryloylamino-ethyldisulfanyl)-nicotinic acid (ACENA) for subsequent copolymerization with acrylic acid (AA) as a new method for synthesis of preactivated thiomers. Copolymerization reactions of ACENA and AA with different molar ratios were performed and the molecular weight (M(w)) values of the resulting copolymers were calculated and reported from 3046 to 3271 Da. The disulfide bond content values in the polymer chain were determined from 400 to 544 μmol disulfide bond per gram polymer. The transport enhancement ratio for 0.5% (m/v) solution of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was 1.1 using sodium fluorescein (Na-Flu) as model drug, in Ussing-type chambers, whereas it was over 1.9 for 0.5% (m/v) solution of ACENA and AA copolymers. Resazurin cell-viability test showed no significant toxicity for the polymers. Copolymerization of AA and disulfide-bond-containing monomers can open new horizons for the preparation of preactivated thiomers taking the better controllability and the huge variety of available monomers and combinations thereof into account.