The
study summarizes the development of an orally active nanoformulation
of a potent but one of the least explored molecules, lisofylline (LSF),
in type 1 diabetes (T1D). LSF undergoes rapid metabolism, resulting
in poor oral bioavailability and short half-life. In this work, to
improve its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, LSF was encapsulated
in the form of its ester prodrug [LSF–linoleic acid (LA) prodrug]
into biodegradable self-assembling polymeric micelles [LSF–LA
PLM, size: 149.3 nm; polydispersity index: 0.209; critical micelle
concentration (cmc); 5.95 μg/mL and N
agg: 14.82 at 10 cmc] of methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(carbonate-co-l-lactide) (mPEG-b-P(CB-co-LA)) block copolymer. LSF–LA
PLM was found to be equally effective as the LSF–LA prodrug
in cell culture studies in insulin-secreting MIN6 cells and showed
excellent stability in simulating biological fluids and plasma. PK
of LSF–LA PLM (10 mg/kg dose) revealed a significant improvement
in oral bioavailability of LSF (74.86%; 3.3-fold increase in comparison
to free LSF) and drastic reduction in the drug metabolism. Further,
LSF–LA PLM showed a significant reduction in fasting glucose
levels and increase in insulin levels by intraperitoneal as well oral
routes in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T1D rat model. Production
of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) and different
biochemical markers for liver and kidney functions were much reduced
in diabetic animals after treatment with LSF–LA PLM. LSF–LA
PLM-treated pancreatic sections showed minimal infiltration of CD4+
and CD8+ T-cells as indicated by hematoxylin/eosin staining and immunohistochemical
analysis.
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