In vitro evaluation of Transdermal Patch of Palonosetron for Antiemetic Therapy

Skin is one of the routes for systemic delivery of drugs through various drug delivery system. A transdermal Drug Delivery System (TDDS) is one of the most reliable and useful system to deliver drug systemically through skin. Generally medicated patch is placed on skin for delivery of medication through it into the blood stream. The aim of present study was to formulate and evaluate Palonosetron transdermal patch in vitro that could be used for antiemetic therapy. The incorporation ofPalonosetron a serotonin 5-HT3 antagonist drug was envisaged. The TDDS was prepared by solvent evaporation technique and was evaluated for organoleptic characteristics and other physicochemical properties Thickness, Weight variation, Drug content uniformity, Tensile strength, % Elongation, Folding endurance & Moisture content. The in vitro permeation study of the patch was carried out through KesaryChein diffusion cell as barrier membrane. Phosphate buffer pH 7.4 was used as dissolution medium and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 10C. The in vitro permeation study of the prepared patch indicated a time dependent increase in drug release throughout the study. The percentage of cumulative drug release was found to be 76.25% in 24 hours.The study shows a new approach to work in with Palonosetron

Evidence for directional selection at a novel major histocompatibility class I marker in wild common frogs (Rana temporaria) exposed to a viral pathogen (Ranavirus).

(c) 2009 Teacher et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Whilst the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is well characterized in the anuran Xenopus, this region has not previously been studied in another popular model species, the common frog (Rana temporaria). Nor, to date, have there been any studies of MHC in wild amphibian host-pathogen systems. We characterise an MHC class I locus in the common frog, and present primers to amplify both the whole region, and specifically the antigen binding region. As no more than two expressed haplotypes were found in over 400 clones from 66 individuals, it is likely that there is a single class I locus in this species. This finding is consistent with the single class I locus in Xenopus, but contrasts with the multiple loci identified in axolotls, providing evidence that the diversification of MHC class I into multiple loci likely occurred after the Caudata/Anura divergence (approximately 350 million years ago) but before the Ranidae/Pipidae divergence (approximately 230 mya). We use this locus to compare wild populations of common frogs that have been infected with a viral pathogen (Ranavirus) with those that have no history of infection. We demonstrate that certain MHC supertypes are associated with infection status (even after accounting for shared ancestry), and that the diseased populations have more similar supertype frequencies (lower F(ST)) than the uninfected. These patterns were not seen in a suite of putatively neutral microsatellite loci. We interpret this pattern at the MHC locus to indicate that the disease has imposed selection for particular haplotypes, and hence that common frogs may be adapting to the presence of Ranavirus, which currently kills tens of thousands of amphibians in the UK each year

CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 attenuates microglial proliferation and neurodegeneration in P301S mice

Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are significant processes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Recent genome-wide association studies have highlighted multiple immune-related genes in association with Alzheimer’s disease, and experimental data have demonstrated microglial proliferation as a significant component of the neuropathology. In this study, we tested the efficacy of the selective CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 (JNJ-527) in the P301S mouse tauopathy model. We first demonstrated the anti-proliferative effects of JNJ-527 on microglia in the ME7 prion model, and its impact on the inflammatory profile, and provided potential CNS biomarkers for clinical investigation with the compound, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics and efficacy assessment by TSPO autoradiography and CSF proteomics. Then, we showed for the first time that blockade of microglial proliferation and modification of microglial phenotype leads to an attenuation of tau-induced neurodegeneration and results in functional improvement in P301S mice. Overall, this work strongly supports the potential for inhibition of CSF1R as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases

Inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease plasma

Introduction:Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis/stratification are a“Holy Grail” of AD research and intensively sought; however, there are no well-established plasmamarkers.Methods:A hypothesis-led plasma biomarker search was conducted in the context of internationalmulticenter studies. The discovery phase measured 53 inflammatory proteins in elderly control (CTL;259), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 199), and AD (262) subjects from AddNeuroMed.Results:Ten analytes showed significant intergroup differences. Logistic regression identified five(FB, FH, sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that, age/APOε4 adjusted, optimally differentiated AD andCTL (AUC: 0.79), and three (sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that optimally differentiated AD and MCI(AUC: 0.74). These models replicated in an independent cohort (EMIF; AUC 0.81 and 0.67). Twoanalytes (FB, FH) plus age predicted MCI progression to AD (AUC: 0.71).Discussion:Plasma markers of inflammation and complement dysregulation support diagnosis andoutcome prediction in AD and MCI. Further replication is needed before clinical translatio

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

A Comprehensive Review on Cyclodextrin-Based Carriers for Delivery of Chemotherapeutic Cytotoxic Anticancer Drugs

Most of the cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents have poor aqueous solubility. These molecules are associated with poor physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties, which makes the formulation difficult. An important approach in this regard is the use of combination of cyclodextrin and nanotechnology in delivery system. This paper provides an overview of limitations associated with anticancer drugs, their complexation with cyclodextrins, loading/encapsulating the complexed drugs into carriers, and various approaches used for the delivery. The present review article aims to assess the utility of cyclodextrin-based carriers like liposomes, niosomes, nanoparticles, micelles, millirods, and siRNA for delivery of antineoplastic agents. These systems based on cyclodextrin complexation and nanotechnology will camouflage the undesirable properties of drug and lead to synergistic or additive effect. Cyclodextrin-based nanotechnology seems to provide better therapeutic effect and sustain long life of healthy and recovered cells. Still, considerable study on delivery system and administration routes of cyclodextrin-based carriers is necessary with respect to their pharmacokinetics and toxicology to substantiate their safety and efficiency. In future, it would be possible to resolve the conventional and current issues associated with the development and commercialization of antineoplastic agents

Carrier-Based Drug Delivery System for Treatment of Acne

Approximately 95% of the population suffers at some point in their lifetime from acne vulgaris. Acne is a multifactorial disease of the pilosebaceous unit. This inflammatory skin disorder is most common in adolescents but also affects neonates, prepubescent children, and adults. Topical conventional systems are associated with various side effects. Novel drug delivery systems have been used to reduce the side effect of drugs commonly used in the topical treatment of acne. Topical treatment of acne with active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) makes direct contact with the target site before entering the systemic circulation which reduces the systemic side effect of the parenteral or oral administration of drug. The objective of the present review is to discuss the conventional delivery systems available for acne, their drawbacks, and limitations. The advantages, disadvantages, and outcome of using various carrier-based delivery systems like liposomes, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and so forth, are explained. This paper emphasizes approaches to overcome the drawbacks and limitations associated with the conventional system and the advances and application that are poised to further enhance the efficacy of topical acne formulations, offering the possibility of simplified dosing regimen that may improve treatment outcomes using novel delivery system

Investigating the phase-solubility and compatibility study of anticancer drug complexed with β-cyclodextrin and HP–β-cyclodextrin

Poor  aqueous  solubility  and  dissolution  rates  are  critical  problems  that  hinders  the  formulation, development  and  delivery  of  most  of  BCS  class  II  and  class  IV  drugs.  Gefitinib  is  a  cytotoxic chemotherapeutic  drug  used  in  treatment  of  cancer.    The  objective  of  the  present  study  was  to investigate  the  drug-cyclodextrin  compatibility  study  by  FTIR  and  DSC  study.  The  phase solubility  study  revealed  formation  of  1:1  stoichiometry  binary  inclusion  complex.  The  complex was  prepared  by  kneading  method.  FT-IR  spectra  provided  the  data  indicating  that  the  HP-β-CD was  more  effective  than  β-CD.  Differential  scanning  calorimetry  thermograms  indicated  stronger amorphization and entrapment of  gefitinib with HP-β-CD

Preliminary screening of Waltheria indica (L.) plant for its anti-inflammatory activity

The investigation on anti-inflammatory activity of the various extract of Waltheria indica L. was reported to find out the pharmacological basis for its ethnomedical use. The anti-inflammatory activity of the pet ether (PEW) and methanol (MEW) extracts of the leaves of Waltheria indica L. (Malvaceae)were evaluated by using in vivo (Carrageenan &amp; histamine induced rat paw edema, cotton pellet granuloma test) models. It was observed that, all the extracts showed significant activity in the in-vivo model at the dose of 500 mg/kg b.w. orally, when compared with control and standard drugs. Of the two extracts tested, methanol extract MEW showed most significant activity well in comparison to the standard drug.  Therefore, present study suggests, potential of leaves of Waltheria indica L. in both models of acute and chronic inflammation.

Evaluation of hepatoprotective effect of Waltheria indica against various NSAIDs-induced hepatic damage in rats

The objective of the present study was to evaluate methanolic extract of leaves of Waltheria indica linn. for hepatoprotective potency of the potent solvent extract. The hepatotoxicity was induced by diclofenac, carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) and acetaminophen. In CCl 4 induced hepatotoxicity study, animals were divided into five groups (n=6). Methanolic extract of Waltheria indica (WIM) groups were injected in doses of 400 mg/kg and 600mg/kg body weight along with CCl 4 and Silymarin 100mg/kg was taken as standard drug. Similarly procedure was followed in diclofenac and acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity. Blood samples and liver were collected and liver hisopathological studies were carried out. These histopathological analysis suggested that WIM extract have the ability to reduce the degree of hepatic fibrosis induced by various factors. And concluded that WIM extract has significant hepatoprotective activity thus this study scientifically support the theory to use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders