High performance liquid chromatographic method was optimized, developed and validated as per the ICH guidelines. In this study the 20 mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile in the 57:43 ratio were used as mobile phase for the analysis of valsartan. Full factorial design was used to optimize the effect of variable factors. The responses were peak area, tailing factor and number of theoretical plates. The quadratic effect of flow rate and wavelength individually as well as in interaction were most significant (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0086, respectively) on peak area; the quadratic effect of pH of buffer was also most significant effect (p < 0.0001) on tailing factor (5%) whereas the quadratic effect of flow rate and wavelength individually was significant (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.0265, respectively) on the number of theoretical plates. The high-performance liquid chromatographic separation was performed at the flow rate 1.0 min/mL, UV detector wavelength 250 nm and pH of the buffer 3.0 as optimized parameters using design of experiments. The retention time values of valsartan were found to be 10.177 min. Percent recovery in terms of accuracy for the prepared valsartan nanoparticles was found in the range of 98.57-100.27%.

The major challenge of first pass metabolism in oral drug delivery can be surmounted by directing delivery toward intestinal lymphatic system (ILS). ILS circumvents the liver and transports drug directly into systemic circulation via thoracic duct. Lipid and polymeric nanoparticles are transported into ILS through lacteal and Peyer's patches. Moreover, surface modification of nanoparticles with ligand which is specific for Peyer's patches enhances the uptake of drugs into ILS. Bioavailability enhancement by lymphatic uptake is an advantageous approach adopted by scientists today. Therefore, it is important to understand clear insight of ILS in targeted drug delivery and challenges involved in it. Areas covered: Current review includes an overview of ILS, factors governing lymphatic transport of nanoparticles and absorption mechanism of lipid and polymeric nanoparticles into ILS. Various ligands used to target Peyer's patch and their conjugation strategies to nanoparticles are explained in detail. In vitro and in vivo models used to assess intestinal lymphatic transport of molecules are discussed further. Expert opinion: Although ILS offers a versatile pathway for nanotechnology based targeted drug delivery, extensive investigations on validation of the lymphatic transport models and on the strategies for gastric protection of targeted nanocarriers have to be perceived in for excellent performance of ILS in oral drug delivery.

Purpose Motility of spermatozoa helps not only in planning the type of infertility treatment but also directly reflects the success rate in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Previously, biotin, a water-soluble vitamin, has been shown to increase the motility and longevity of cryopreserved human spermatozoa. The present study was designed to understand the molecular basis of the beneficial effects of presence of biotin in sperm wash medium on early embryo development. Methods The effect biotin supplementation to sperm wash medium on the sperm parameters were assessed in swim-up fraction of normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic ejaculates collected from infertile men. Fertilization and early embryo development was studied using Swiss albino mice. Results Even though both biotin and pentoxifylline (PTX) enhanced the motility of spermatozoa from normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic samples, biotin group exhibited higher in vitro survival. Using mouse model, we observed that presence of biotin or PTX in sperm wash medium improved the fertilization rate and blastocyst rate compared to control. Blastocysts from these groups had significantly higher total cell number (P < 0.01) and lower apoptotic index. In silico target prediction revealed that GTPase HRas (HRas), tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 1 (PTP1B), and glucokinase are the probable targets for biotin. Solution-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies confirmed that biotin interacts both with human HRas and PTP1B. Conclusion Our results indicate that presence of biotin in sperm wash medium can improve the fertilization potential and preimplantation embryo development and can be considered as a safe alternate to PTX.

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