Oral bioavailability of atorvastatin calcium (ATC) is very low (only 14%) due to instability and incomplete intestinal absorption and/or extensive gut wall extraction. When ATC is packed in the form of tablets, powders, etc., it gets destabilized as it is exposed to the oxidative environment, which is usually present during the production process, the storage of the substance, and the pharmaceutical formulation. Therefore, stabilized gastro-retentive floating tablets of ATC were prepared to enhance bioavailability. Water sorption and viscosity measurement studies are performed to get the best polymer matrix for gastro-retention. A 3(2) factorial design used to prepare optimized formulation of ATC. The selected excipients such as docusate sodium enhanced the stability and solubility of ATC in gastric media and tablet dosage form. The best formulation (F4) consisting of hypromellose, sodium bicarbonate, polyethylene oxide, docusate sodium, mannitol, crosscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate, gave floating lag time of 56 ± 4.16 s and good matrix integrity with in vitro dissolution of 98.2% in 12 h. After stability studies, no significant change was observed in stability, solubility, floating lag time, total floating duration, matrix integrity, and sustained drug release rates, as confirmed by DSC and powder X-ray diffraction studies. In vivo pharmacokinetic study performed in rabbits revealed enhanced bioavailability of F4 floating tablets, about 1.6 times compared with that of the conventional tablet (Storvas® 80 mg tablet). These results suggest that the gastric resident formulation is a promising approach for the oral delivery of ATC for improving bioavailability.

Study objectives were to develop a unique floating ring capsule dosage form which combines gastric soluble and insoluble portions, and to evaluate its suitability for stomach specific drug delivery. New floating ring capsules were developed using different polymers and were compared for various parameters. The formulation with HPMC and sodium CMC has better floating properties. The effects of polymers concentration on drug release were studies by in vitro release studies. The interaction studies of combined drug with polymers were determined using FT-IR spectroscopy. The entrapped air within the gel barrier and lower densities of HPMC and sodium CMC resulted in better floating behavior. Steady slow gel formations showed prolonged drug release. The in vitro release rates were generally found to be faster with low concentration of carbopol showing release within 2 h, while formulations containing high amount of HPMC showed release in 8 h. In particular, the higher concentration of HPMC formulation shows the best drug release performance. A very low change in peak shift was observed only with sodium alginate formulations. Further, FT-IR measurements confirmed the absence of any chemical interactions. Results indicate that new floating ring capsule is a promise dosage form for stomach specific delivery.

Background and Oobjectives: Lung cancer, a pressing issue in present-day society due to its high prevalence and mortality rate, can be managed effectively by long-term delivery of anticancer agents encapsulated in nanoparticles in the form of inhalable dry powder. This approach is expected to be of strategic importance in the management of lung cancer and is a developing area in current research. In the present investigation, we report on the formulation and characterization of docetaxel inhalable nanoparticles as a viable alternative for effective treatment of non-small cell lung cancer as a long-term delivery choice. Materials and Methods: Poloxamer (PLX-188) coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing docetaxel (DTX-NPs) were prepared by simple oil in water (o/w) single emulsification-solvent evaporation process. The nanoparticles were collected as pellet by centrifugation, dispersed in mannitol solution, and lyophilized to get dry powder. Results: Optimized DTX-NPs were smooth and spherical in morphology, had particle size around 200 nm, zeta potential around −36 mV, and entrapment efficiency of around 60%. The invitro anticancer assay was assessed and it was observed that nanoparticle-based formulation exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity when compared to the free form of the drug post 48 h. On examining for invitro drug release, slow but continuous release was seen until 96 h following Higuchi release kinetics. DTX-NPs were able to maintain their desired characteristics when studied at accelerated conditions of stability. Conclusions: In-vivo study indicated that the optimized nanoparticles were well retained in lungs and that the drug level could be maintained for a longer duration if given in the form of DTX-NPs by the pulmonary route. Thus, the non-invasive nature and target specificity of DTX-NPs paves the way for its future use as a pulmonary delivery for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A simple, precise, accurate and rapid high performance thin layer chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the estimation of emtricitabine and tenofovir simultaneously in combined dosage form. The stationary phase used was precoated silica gel 60F 254. The mobile phase used was a mixture of chloroform: methanol (9:1 v/v). The detection of spots was carried out at 265 nm. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision and specificity. The calibration curve was found to be linear between 200 to 1000 ng with regression coefficient of 0.9995. The proposed method can be successfully used to determine the drug content of marketed tablet formulation.

Inhibition of Histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been emerged as important approach to reverse aberrant epigenetic changes associated with various cancerous and non-cancerous diseases. The field of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDIs) is moving into a new phase of development. The structure of histone deacetylases is well-established and the active sites have been well identified. Various drugs targeting this enzyme are in the pipeline for the treatment of different diseases. Since first-generation HDAC inhibitors proved their clinical fruitfulness and also second generation inhibitors are rationally designed with improved specificity, experts believe that this class will emerge in the treatment of various diseases. Considering these facts present review focuses on HDACs and developments of HDIs in the treatment of various diseases.