Coenzyme Q10 deficiency: an orphan disease in argentina?

En la actualidad, el estudio de la coenzima Q10 (CoQ10) representa un área de vacancia en Argentina. La CoQ10 es fundamental para la producción celular de energía y es considerada un potente antioxidante endógeno. Su deficiencia se asocia a diversas patologías que revierten parcial o totalmente con la suplementación terapéutica de CoQ10, especialmente si es administrada en niños. Sin embargo, en Argentina, la CoQ10 es considerada un suplemento dietario y para el tratamiento sólo se encuentra disponible comercialmente una formulación sólida que no sólo posee baja biodisponibilidad sino que además es inadecuada para su uso pediátrico, resultando en una pobre o inexistente respuesta terapéutica. Un mayor conocimiento de las patologías que involucran la deficiencia de CoQ10 facilitaría al equipo de salud el manejo de estas enfermedades que actualmente se conocen como “huérfanas” en Argentina.At present the study of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a large vacant area in Argentina. CoQ10 is essential for cellular energy production and is considered a potent endogenous antioxidant. Its deficiency is associated to different pathologies that partially or completely reversed with the therapeutic supplementation of CoQ10, particularly if it is administered in children. However, in Argentina, CoQ10 is considered a dietary supplement and for treatment is only available a solid formulation that not only has low bioavailability but also is unsuitable for pediatric use, resulting in poor or no therapeutic response. A greater understanding of diseases involving CoQ10 deficiency would facilitate the health team management of this disease that today are known as "orphan" in Argentina.Fil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Tripodi, Valeria Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

Herbal medicines on the spot: back to the green essentials

Plants have always been an attractive source of new molecular entities, many of whichhold potential for therapeutic purposes. From an analytical point of view, they pose achallenge since their compounds act in a synergistic way. Hence, powerful analyticaltechniques and data processing tools are put in place to unravel the green mystery. Theaim of this mini review is to revisit key topics in the field of herbal medicines, suchas main concepts of the trade, strategies to analyze complex mixtures, cutting-edgetechnologies and data processing tools to serve this purpose.Fil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Wagner, Marcelo Luis. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Dobrecky, Cecilia Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentin

Development of Amine Capillary Column Applied to the Analysis of Basic Compounds by Electrochromatography

An amine capillary column was developed in a fused-silica capillary as stationary phase and appliedto separation of basic compounds by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The functionalizedcapillary was prepared by inmobilization of 3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). TheCEC conditions including APTES and buffer concentration, pH and applied voltage were investigatedto obtain the optimal CEC system for the separation of three anesthetics as basic test molecules.The capillary column provided an efficiency of up to 20,000 plates/m. Lidocaine, ketamineand xilacine were baseline separated under the running conditions with 10 mM Na2HPO4 pH 9.0 asBGE. The applied voltage was 5 kV temperature was set at 25˚C and UV detection was performed.The resolutions were 4.97 and 1.53 for ketamine, lidocaine and xilacine, respectively. The columnused in CEC mode showed better separation of the anesthetics compared with those used in thecapillary zone mode. The comparison with reversed stationary phases used in HPLC in terms ofresolution (Rs), sensitivity (LOD), efficiency (N), precision (RSD), asymmetry (T) was also performed.This study provided an alternative way for the CEC separation of basic compounds anddemonstrated the improvement in the chromatographic parametersFil: Flor, Sabrina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Huala, Juan Martin. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Tripodi, Valeria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentin

A new calcium releasing nano-composite biomaterial for bone tissue engineering scaffolds

A biomaterial with bioactive glass nanoparticles (nBG) and Ca2+ incorporated into alginate matrix was developed. Films characterization was carried out by SEM, IR, tensile strength measurements, bioactivity assay, degradation and swelling studies. Ca2+ release from films was analyzed. Freeze-dried-scaffolds were also fabricated. Films showed the development of a homogeneous matrix and the mechanical properties were improved when nBG were incorporated. The bioactive nature of nBG containing films was confirmed by studies in simulated body fluid. Degradation was negligible and a good swelling capacity was observed. Moreover Ca2+ was released in a controlled manner. In scaffolds fabricated by freeze-drying, pores were seen to be uniform and well distributed. According to the characterization results, these composite biomaterials are attractive candidates for the fabrication of bone tissue engineering scaffolds.Fil: Cattalini, Juan Pablo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, J,. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Boccaccini, A. R.. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; Alemania;Fil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Mouriño, Viviana Silvia Lourdes. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

Self-assembled Amphotericin B Pharmacosome like Vesicles Derived from Lipid-based Microtubes: a Model Carrier to Further Explore

Background: Self-assembled drug delivery systems are of much interest since they can be produced by simple low cost and solvent-free procedures. Pharmacosomes are supramolecular-structured nanocarriers with benefits for drug stability and targeting delivery. Amphotericin B (AmB) still remains an important agent for the treatment of invasive mold infections, e.g invasive aspergillo-sis, although the challenge for new formulations is still prevailing due to high rates of toxicity. Objective: We have previously reported the incorporation of AmB into 12-hydroxystearic acid lipid-based microtubes (MTs) for topical use, herein we report the ability of AmB-MTs to self-assemble into vesicles upon dilution. Methods: AmB-MTs with different drug concentrations (1, 3, 5 mg/ml) were prepared, and size de-termination was carried out for different dilutions. Morphology was evaluated by microscopy. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated in Vero cells and in vitro activity against Aspergillus fumigatus and Asper-gillus flavus was assessed. Results: AmB-MTs closed upon dilution to form vesicles ranging from 200 nm to 1µm. AmB MIC (Minimum inhibitory concentration) for both Aspergillus species was 0.0625 and 0.125 µg/ml for dis-persion and reconstituted lyophilized, respectively. Conclusion: AmB pharmacosome-like vesicles are smaller structures than MTs may thus be favoura-ble for other delivery routes. We assume that this kind of pharmacosomes-like carrier is a promising model for the obtention of new vesicular carriers based on lipid MTs.Fil: Salerno, Claudia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Cuestas, María Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Manco, Karina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Chiappetta, Diego Andrés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentin

Miniaturized imprinted solid phase extraction to the selective analysis of Coenzyme Q10 in urine

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an important cofactor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and a potent endogenous antioxidant. CoQ10 deficiency is currently associated with numerous diseases like mitochondrial and neurodegenerative pathologies, in which the earliest diagnosis and treatment with CoQ10 supplementation becomes paramount for patient's treatment. Consequently, the determination of CoQ10 levels in different biological matrices positions as a fundamental tool. Urine is an attractive and non-invasive alternative source to tissue, blood or other biofluids for CoQ10 analysis. However, it poses an analytical challenge, as it generally requires a complex sample preparation, with multiple steps. In this work we developed and validated a molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (MIP-SPE) followed by a HPLC-MS/MS method for the analysis of CoQ10 in urine. The MIP-SPE method developed is simple and fast compared to previously traditional reported methods, with reduced processing time, improved sample cleaning and excellent recovery values, along with its inherent high selectivity. The developed chromatographic method was validated according to FDA guidelines, and demonstrated to be suitable for the analysis of CoQ10 in urine samples with LOQ and LOD values of 0.6 ng/mL and 0.2 ng/mL of CoQ10 in urine respectively. Recovery values at three concentration levels were higher than 90.0%.The proposed method is amenable to be applied in pediatric patients due to the low sample requirement and useful for diagnosis and post-treatment control.Fil: García Becerra, Cristian Ezequiel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Baez, Francisco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Flor, Sabrina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica; ArgentinaFil: Tripodi, Valeria Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

Novel nanocomposite biomaterials with controlled copper/calcium release capability for bone tissue engineering multifunctional scaffolds

This work aimed to develop novel composite biomaterials for bone tissue engineering (BTE) made of bioactive glass nanoparticles (Nbg) and alginate cross-linked with Cu2+ or Ca2+ (AlgNbgCu, AlgNbgCa, respectively). Twodimensional scaffolds were prepared and the nanocomposite biomaterials were characterized in terms of morphology, mechanical strength, bioactivity, biodegradability, swelling capacity, release profile of the cross-linking cations and angiogenic properties. It was found that both Cu2+ and Ca2+ are released in a controlled and sustained manner with no burst release observed. Finally, in vitro results indicated that the bioactive ions released from both nanocomposite biomaterials were able to stimulate the differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells towards the osteogenic lineage. In addition, the typical endothelial cell property of forming tubes in Matrigel was observed for human umbilical vein endothelial cells when in contact with the novel biomaterials, particularly AlgNbgCu, which indicates their angiogenic properties. Hence, novel nanocomposite biomaterials made of Nbg and alginate cross-linked with Cu2+ or Ca2+ were developed with potential applications for preparation of multifunctional scaffolds for BTE.Fil: Cattalini, Juan Pablo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Hoppe, A.. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; AlemaniaFil: Pishbin, F.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Roether, Judith A.. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; AlemaniaFil: Boccaccini, Aldo R.. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; AlemaniaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mouriño, Viviana Silvia Lourdes. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

LC-MS/MS Method Applied to the Detection and Quantification of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Related Substances in Raw Material and Pharmaceutical Formulation

Abstract: Objective: To develop a highly sensitive LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry)method applied to the detection and quantitation of UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid) related substances such as CA (cholic acid), DCA(deoxycholic acid), CDCA (chenodeoxycholic acid) and LCA (lithocholic acid) in raw material and pharmaceutical formulation.Methods: The method was validated for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness. A triple quadrupole mass detector wasemployed, equipped with an ESI (electrospray ionization) source operated in the negative ion mode. The chromatographic systemconsisted of a Symmetry C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, id; particle size 5 µm) and methanol-acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (pH 7.6;10 mM) (40:40:20, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The chromatographic conditions were 25 uL injection volume, flow rate of 0.4 mL/minand column temperature set at 35 °C. Key findings: The method requires a minimum sample amount and presents very low LOD(limits of detection) for CA (0.29 ng/mL), DCA (0.59 ng/mL), CDCA (0.13 ng/mL) and LCA (0.44 ng/mL) in comparison to LCmethods coupled to different detectors like UV (ultraviolet), fluorescence and refractive index. Conclusions: The developed andvalidated LC-MS/MS method for the determination of UDCA and related substances in raw material and in a suspension wasadvantageous since it required a minimum sample amount. In turn, it could be used as a stability indicating method.Fil: Boscolo, Oriana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Flor, Sabrina Andrea. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica. Cátedra de Química Analítica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Dobrecky Ceciclia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Martinefski, Manuela Romina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica. Cátedra de Química Analítica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Tripodi, Valeria Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

New Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatographic Method for Analyzing Idebenone in Pediatric Formulations

A novel, simple and reliable method based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography with ultraviolet detection was developed to analyze idebenone in a pediatric formulation. Idebenone is a synthetic short chain benzoquinone that acts as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport chain facilitating the production of adenosine triphosphate. It can be found in two different redox states that differ in their physiological properties. Idebenone has been investigated as a treatment in several neurological disorders like Friedreich's ataxia, Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, mitochondrial encephalomyopathies and senile dementia. Accordingly, a micellar electrokinetic chromatography was employed to discriminate both redox forms. The final optimized system was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity (r2 0.992), limit of detection (0.5 μg/mL), limit of quantification (1.8 μg/mL), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD ≤ 2) and accuracy in terms of recovery studies (99.3-100.5%). Robustness was studied following a Plackett-Burman design. Finally, the validated system was applied to the analysis of idebenone in a pediatric formulation.Fil: Contin, Mario Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Analítica y Fisicoquímica. Cátedra de Química Analítica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Buontempo, Fabián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: García Becerra, Cristian Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Dobrecky, Cecilia Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tripodi, Valeria Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Identification and Quantification of an Adulterant in a Dietary Supplement Marketed for Sexual Enhancement

In recent years, the consumption of dietary supplements (DS) has increased worldwide. In Argentina, approximately 14 million DS units were sold between 2015 and 2017. The adulteration of DS with active pharmaceutical ingredients or their analogues has been reported. This represents an alarming emerging risk to public health. The aim of this work was to detect the possible adulteration of a DS marketed in Argentina for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Initially, thin layer chromatography analysis of the DS capsules content suggested the presence of a major compound. For the isolation and purification of this compound, an easy method consisted of a liquid-liquid extraction (water/CH2Cl2) followed by re-crystallisation from ethanol, is reported. Spectroscopic techniques such as mono- and bidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry allowed its identification as tadalafil. A rapid and reliable method was developed for the quantification of tadalafil in this DS by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The mean content of tadalafil per capsule was 21.2 mg which represents a slightly higher value than that found in approved products in Argentina (5 or 20 mg per tablet). In addition, an undeclared alga was identified in the DS by microscopic techniques.Fil: Redko, Flavia del Carmen. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Flor, Sabrina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Lucangioli, Silvia Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Tecnología Farmacéutica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Ulloa, Jerónimo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Ricco, Rafael Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacobótanica; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Claudio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Investigaciones para el Descubrimiento de Fármacos de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Investigaciones para el Descubrimiento de Fármacos de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Sambrotta, Luis Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Investigaciones para el Descubrimiento de Fármacos de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Investigaciones para el Descubrimiento de Fármacos de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Muschietti, Liliana Victoria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin