Development of cordycepin formulations for preclinical and clinical studies

There is extensive literature on in vivo studies with cordycepin but these studies were generally conducted without validation of the various formulations, especially in terms of the solubility of cordycepin in the dosing vehicles used. Cordycepin is a promising drug candidate in multiple therapeutic areas and there is a growing interest in studies aimed at assessing the pharmacological activity of this compound in relevant animal disease models. It is likely that many reported in vivo studies used formulations in which cordycepin was incompletely soluble. This can potentially confound the interpretation of pharmacokinetics and efficacy results. Furthermore, the presence of particles in intravenously administered suspension can cause adverse effects and should be avoided. Here we present the results from our development of simple and readily applicable formulations of cordycepin based on quantitative solubility assessment. Homogeneous solutions of cordycepin were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at different pH levels, suitable as formulations for both intravenously and oral administration. For the purpose of high-dose oral administration we also developed propylene glycol (PPG)-based vehicles in which cordycepin is completely soluble. The stability of the newly developed formulations was also assessed, as well the feasibility of their sterilisation by filtration. Additionally, an HPLC-UV method for the determination of cordycepin in the formulations, which may also be useful for other purposes, was developed and validated. Our study could provide useful information for improvement of future preclinical and clinical studies involving cordycepin

Evaluation of the use of oral rehydration therapy in the management of diarrhoea among children under 5: knowledge attitudes and practices of mothers/caregivers

Introduction: Dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting has remained a threat to the lives of children under 5 years old especially in developing countries. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) administered by caregivers is lifesaving but evidence shows unsatisfactory implementation of this.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 377 systematically recruited caregivers was conducted. A face to face questionnaire was used to measure the level of ORT knowledge, attitudes, practices, and responses to diarrhoea and vomiting in children. The data collected were analysed by the use of descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test. The main outcome measures were the level of ORT knowledge of mothers/caregivers, attitudes, practices, and responses to diarrhoea.Results: In total, 88.3% of caregivers were biological mothers. Only 53.3% were aware of the importance of initiating ORT at home with the onset of diarrhoea, and 4% administered traditional remedies. Some 66% of the caregivers had used ORT, 18.3% knew that it prevents dehydration, and 33.7% were able to prepare a correct recipe. Knowledge and attitudes correlated with the ability to initiate ORT at home (p = 0.0000).Conclusion: Unsatisfactory uptake of ORT appears to be due to caregivers’ lack of knowledge concerning the perfect mixture, function, and appropriate quantity of ORT administration. Mothers have heard of ORT, but some still believe that traditional remedies are better in treating diarrhoea