Liposomal Nanoformulations as Current Tumor-Targeting Approach to Cancer Therapy

The liposomes present great potential for applications in targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics in the treatment of cancer. The use of liposomal drug carriers as vehicles for targeting of chemotherapeutic agents to tumor tissues is based on their advantages over other dosage forms, represented by their low systemic toxicity, their bioavailability, and their possibility to enhance the solubility of different chemotherapeutic agents, due to the ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. They enhance the therapeutic index of anticancer drugs by increasing the drug concentration in tumor cells through tumor targeting. The available approaches used for tumor targeting using liposomes are passive targeting, active targeting, and triggered drug release. The most advanced targeting strategies proposed for cancer treatment are the development of multifunctional liposomes, having combined targeting mechanism. In this chapter, the tumor-targeting mechanisms are described in detail as well as the possibilities to design the targeted liposomal nanocarrier in order to reach the desired target in the body and minimizing the off-target effects. Moreover, the current status of preclinical and clinical evaluation is highlighted

Multivariate Calibration for the Development of Vibrational Spectroscopic Methods

Vibrational spectroscopy, namely near infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, is based on the interaction between the electromagnetic radiation and matter. The technique is sensitive to chemical and physical properties and delivers a wide range of information about the analyzed sample, but in order to extract the information, multivariate calibration of the spectral data is required. The main goal of this work will be to present in detail the available multivariate calibration strategy for development of NIR and Raman spectroscopic methods, which was successfully applied in pharmaceutics

Formulation and pharmaceutical development of quetiapine fumarate sustained release matrix tablets using a QbD approach

The main objective of the present study was to apply QbD methodology in the development of once-a-day sustained release quetiapine tablets. The quality target product profile (QTPP) was defined after the pharmaceutical properties and kinetic release of the innovator product, Seroquel XR 200 mg. For the D-optimal experimental design, the level and ratio of matrix forming agents and the type of extragranular diluent were chosen as independent inputs, which represented critical formulation factors. The critical quality attributes (CQAs) studied were the cumulative percentages of quetiapine released after certain time intervals. After the analysis of the experimental design, optimal formulas and the design space were defined. Optimal formulas demonstrated zero-order release kinetics and a dissolution profile similar to the innovator product, with f2 values of 74.53 and 83.74. It was concluded that the QbD approach allowed fast development of sustained release tablets with similar dissolution behavior as the innovator product

Pharmaceutical Development of Liposomes Using the QbD Approach

Quality by Design (QbD) is a systematic, risk-based approach to pharmaceutical product and manufacturing development, which uses quality-improving scientific methods upstream in the research, development, and design phases, in order to assure that quality and safety are designed into product at as early stage as possible. This work focuses on the state-of-the-art applications of the QbD principles in the development of liposomes. The QbD approach has recently been proposed as a useful tool to obtain higher-quality liposomal products, as their development is a challenging task, involving intricate formulation and manufacturing processes. Thus, the current strategies to define the relationship between the critical material attributes or process parameters and product critical quality attributes and to establish the design space are overviewed. Additionally, the current characterization methodologies are described, as part of the control strategy required within the QbD paradigm