Effects of formulation on the palatability and efficacy of In-Feed Praziquantel medications for Marine Finfish Aquaculture

Praziquantel (PZQ) provides an effective treatment against monogenean parasitic infestations in finfish. However, its use as an in-feed treatment is challenging due to palatability issues. In this study, five formulations of PZQ beads (1–4 mm) were developed using marine-based polymers, with allicin added as a flavouring agent. All formulations attained PZQ loading rates ≥74% w/w, and the beads were successfully incorporated into fish feed pellets at an active dietary inclusion level of 10 g/kg. When tested for palatability and digestibility in small yellowtail kingfish, the PZQ-loaded beads produced with alginate-chitosan, alginate-Cremophor® RH40, and agar as carriers resulted in high consumption rates of 99–100% with no digesta or evidence of beads in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of fish fed with diets containing either formulation. Two formulations produced using chitosan-based carriers resulted in lower consumption rates of 68–75%, with undigested and partly digested beads found in the fish GIT 3 h post feeding. The PZQ-loaded alginate-chitosan and agar beads also showed good palatability in large (≥2 kg) yellowtail kingfish infected with gill parasites and were efficacious in removing the parasites from the fish, achieving >90% reduction in mean abundance relative to control fish (p 90% compared with baseline levels. Overall, the palatability, efficacy and stability data collected from this study suggest that these two PZQ particulate formulations have potential applications as in-feed anti-parasitic medications for the yellowtail kingfish farming industry

Multiorgan networks consisting of human microtissue spheroids on 96 well format-based microfludiic platform

A simple in vitro model for human organ-to-organ interaction studies was realized by using spherical microtissues (MTs) cultured in a 96-well-format-based microfluidic platform. The model was validated by comparing the bio-activation effects of an anti-cancer pro-drug, cyclophosphamide (CPA), under static and perfusion conditions in a liver-tumor network. Primary human liver (hLi) MTs and human colon carcinoma (HCT116) MTs were fluidically interconnected for realizing a liver-tumor model in a physiological environment. Medium was perfused through microfluidic channels without tubing and pumps by using a gravity-driven flow concept

Application of an ex-vivo drug sensitivity platform towards achieving complete remission in a refractory T-cell lymphoma

10.1038/s41408-020-0276-7Blood Cancer Journal101