Nanocrystalline cerium dioxide is able to protect living cells from oxidative stress under the influence of various stress factors, in particular under the one of low temperatures. This study investigates the phase-structural transformations in aqueous solutions containing CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and their impact on the cryopreservation process. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermomechanical analysis were used to analyse the phase transitions in aqueous suspensions of CeO2 NPs and aqueous solutions of the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) with CeO2 NPs. Various concentrations of CeO2 NPs were tested to observe their effects on the crystallization and melting behaviours. The addition of CeO2 NPs significantly altered the temperatures and enthalpies of melting and crystallization in water. Low concentrations of CeO2 NPs promoted crystallization, while higher concentrations inhibited it, reducing supercooling and recrystallization during thawing. In Me2SO solutions, CeO2 NPs raised the glass transition temperature and affected the recrystallization process, with higher concentrations leading to more pronounced vitrification and reduced recrystallization. We also investigated the regularities of the effect of CeO2 NPs on phase transitions in combined cryoprotective media with Ham's F12, fetal bovine serum and Me2SO, which can be used in future to design the cryopreservation protocols. In the complex media, CeO2 NPs decreased the metastability and altered eutectic crystallization patterns, indicating potential cryoprotective effects. In conclusion, CeO2 NPs modulate the thermophysical properties of cryoprotective solutions, enhancing vitrification and reducing recrystallization, which could improve cryopreservation efficiency. Optimizing NP concentrations is crucial for practical applications in cryopreservation.
- MeSH
- Cerium * chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Calorimetry, Differential Scanning * MeSH
- Dimethyl Sulfoxide * chemistry MeSH
- Cryopreservation * methods MeSH
- Cryoprotective Agents * chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Crystallization * MeSH
- Nanoparticles * chemistry MeSH
- Transition Temperature MeSH
- Vitrification * drug effects MeSH
- Phase Transition * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the influences of particle size and mechanically induced defects on the recrystallization kinetics of amorphous Enzalutamide. Enzalutamide prepared by hot melt extrusion and spray-drying was used as a model material. The recrystallization rate was primarily accelerated by the presence of the processing-damaged surface of the powder particles. The actual surface/volume ratio associated with decreasing particle size fulfilled only a secondary role. Interestingly, higher quench rate during the extrusion led to a formation of thermally less stable material (with the worse stability being manifested via lower activation energy of crystal growth in the amorphous matrix). This can be the consequence of the formation of looser structure more prone to rearrangements. The recrystallization kinetics of the prepared Enzalutamide amorphous materials was described by the two-parameter autocatalytic kinetic model. The modified single-curve multivariate kinetic analysis (optimized for the data obtained at heating rate 0.5 °C•min-1) was used to calculate the extrapolated kinetic predictions of long-term isothermal crystal growth. The predictions were made for the temperatures from the range of drug shelf-life and processing for each particle size fraction. By the combination of the mass-weighted predictions for the individual powder fractions it was possible to obtain a very reasonable (temperature-extrapolated) prediction of the crystallization rate for the as-prepared unsieved powdered amorphous Enzalutamide.
Spray drying and hot-melt extrusion are among the most prevalent preparation techniques used in the pharmaceutical industry to produce amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). This study advances previous research by integrating sample production, comprehensive analytical characterization, intrinsic dissolution rate measurements, and assessments of the behavior of ASDs under elevated temperature and humidity conditions. The study focuses on indomethacin, a widely used model for poorly soluble drugs, processed with PVP K30 or HPMC E5, both commonly used polymers. The findings demonstrate that hot-melt extruded samples exhibit superior stability against recrystallization, whereas spray dried samples achieve higher intrinsic dissolution rates. Furthermore, PVP K30 significantly outperforms HPMC E5 in the co-processing of indomethacin, enhancing both the intrinsic dissolution rate and the stability.
- MeSH
- Hypromellose Derivatives chemistry MeSH
- Chemistry, Pharmaceutical methods MeSH
- Indomethacin * chemistry MeSH
- Crystallization * MeSH
- Povidone chemistry MeSH
- Drug Compounding methods MeSH
- Solubility * MeSH
- Spray Drying * MeSH
- Drug Stability * MeSH
- Hot Melt Extrusion Technology * methods MeSH
- Drug Liberation MeSH
- Humidity MeSH
- Hot Temperature MeSH
- Desiccation methods MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
In this study, we investigated the release mechanism of the poorly water soluble drug aprepitant from different amorphous solid dispersions using confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). Solid dispersions were fabricated based on either Soluplus®, as an amphiphilic copolymer and solubilizer, or on polyvinylpyrrolidone, as a hydrophilic polymer, in order to elucidate the influence of the polymer characteristics on the drug form and dissolution mechanisms. Aprepitant exhibited its amorphous form in both solid dispersions. However, the release differed depending on the polymer. The high complexation effect of Soluplus was shown to be a crucial factor for stabilization of the amorphous drug, resulting in continuous release without any recrystallization of aprepitant. In contrast, solid dispersions based on polyvinylpyrrolidone showed a different mechanism of dissolution; due to the good affinity of PVP and water, the polymer is dissolving fast, leading to phase separation and local recrystallization of the drug. The study highlights the complexity of release processes from solid dispersions and elucidates the influence of the polymer on drug release kinetics.
- MeSH
- Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions MeSH
- Kinetics MeSH
- Microscopy, Confocal methods MeSH
- Crystallization MeSH
- Morpholines chemistry MeSH
- Drug Carriers chemistry MeSH
- Polyethylene Glycols chemistry MeSH
- Polymers chemistry MeSH
- Polyvinyls chemistry MeSH
- Povidone chemistry MeSH
- Spectrum Analysis, Raman methods MeSH
- Solubility MeSH
- Drug Stability MeSH
- Drug Liberation * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Cryogenic microscopy methods have gained increasing popularity, as they offer an unaltered view on the architecture of biological specimens. As a prerequisite, samples must be handled under cryogenic conditions below their recrystallization temperature, and contamination during sample transfer and handling must be prevented. We present a high-vacuum cryo-transfer system that streamlines the entire handling of frozen-hydrated samples from the vitrification process to low temperature imaging for scanning transmission electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. A template for cryo-electron microscopy and multimodal cryo-imaging approaches with numerous sample transfer steps is presented.
The integration of 3D printing into the pharmaceutical sciences opens new possibilities for personalized medicine. Poly(lactide) (PLA), a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, is highly suitable for biomedical applications, particularly in the context of 3D printing. However, its processability often requires the addition of plasticizers. This study investigates the use of phase diagram modeling as a tool to guide the rational selection of plasticizers and to assess their impact on the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of PLA-based amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Thermodynamic stability against API recrystallization was predicted based on the API solubility in PLA and Plasticizer-PLA carriers using the Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS), while the kinetic stability of the ASDs was evaluated by modeling the glass transition temperatures of the mixtures. Two APIs, indomethacin (IND) and naproxen (NAP), with differing glass-forming abilities (i.e., recrystallization tendencies), and three plasticizers, triacetin (TA), triethyl citrate (TEC), and poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL), were selected for investigation. The physical stability of ASD formulations containing 9 wt% API and plasticizer to PLA in two ratios, 10:81 and 20:71 w/w %, was monitored over time using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction and compared with phase diagram predictions. All formulations were predicted to be thermodynamically unstable; however, those containing no plasticizer or with TEC and TA at 10 wt% were predicted to exhibit some degree of kinetic stability. Long-term physical studies corroborated these predictions. The correlation between the predicted phase behavior and long-term physical stability highlights the potential of phase diagram modeling as a tool for the rational design of ASDs in pharmaceutical 3D printing.
- MeSH
- Printing, Three-Dimensional * MeSH
- Citrates chemistry MeSH
- Calorimetry, Differential Scanning methods MeSH
- Chemistry, Pharmaceutical methods MeSH
- Technology, Pharmaceutical methods MeSH
- Indomethacin * chemistry MeSH
- Crystallization MeSH
- Naproxen chemistry MeSH
- Polyesters * chemistry MeSH
- Solvents chemistry MeSH
- Solubility * MeSH
- Drug Stability MeSH
- Thermodynamics MeSH
- Transition Temperature MeSH
- Triacetin chemistry MeSH
- Plasticizers * chemistry MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Knowledge of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) solubility in a polymer is imperative for successful amorphous solid dispersion design and formulation but acquiring this information at storage temperature is challenging. Various solubility determination methods have been established, which utilize differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In this work, three commonly used DSC-based protocols [i.e., melting point depression (MPD), recrystallization, and zero-enthalpy extrapolation (Z-EE)] and a method that we have developed called "step-wise dissolution" (S-WD) were analyzed. For temperature-composition phase diagram construction, two glass-transition temperature equations (i.e., those of Gordon-Taylor and Kwei) and three solid-liquid equilibrium curve modeling approaches [i.e., the Flory-Huggins model, an empirical equation, and the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) equation of state (EOS)] were considered. Indomethacin (IND) and Kollidon 12 PF (PVP K12) were selected as the API and polymer, respectively. An annealing time investigation revealed that the IND-PVP K12 dissolution process was remarkably faster than demixing, which contradicted previously published statements. Thus, the recrystallization method overestimated the solubility of IND in PVP K12 when a 2-h time of annealing was set as the benchmark. Likewise, the MPD and Z-EE methods overestimated the API solubility because of unreliable IND melting endotherm evaluation at lower API loadings and a relatively slow heating rate, respectively. When the experimental results obtained using the S-WD method (in conjunction with the Kwei equation) were applied to the PC-SAFT EOS, which was regarded as the most reliable combination, the predicted IND solubility in PVP K12 at T = 25 °C was approximately 40 wt %. When applicable, the S-WD method offers the advantage of using a limited number of DSC sample pans and API-polymer physical mixture compositions, which is both cost- and time-effective.
- MeSH
- Models, Chemical MeSH
- Calorimetry, Differential Scanning MeSH
- Chemistry, Pharmaceutical methods MeSH
- Crystallization MeSH
- Polymers chemistry MeSH
- Excipients chemistry MeSH
- Solubility MeSH
- Transition Temperature MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
Four different polymorphs, A, C, D, and E, of succinobucol were isolated and characterized by means of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy. From a number of experiments, the same polymorphs (C, D, and E) and an equilibrium phase mixture B consisting of polymorphs C and D were repeatedly gained using different solvents or their mixtures. Although polymorph A was obtained directly from recrystallization only on few occasions, polymorphs C, D, and E proved to be metastable kinetic polymorphs, which slowly transform to a thermodynamically more stable form A during long-term storage. The single-crystal structures of polymorph C and D were determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction.
- MeSH
- Calorimetry, Differential Scanning MeSH
- Crystallization MeSH
- Crystallography, X-Ray MeSH
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy MeSH
- Models, Molecular MeSH
- Powder Diffraction MeSH
- Probucol analogs & derivatives analysis chemistry MeSH
- Spectrophotometry, Infrared MeSH
- Thermogravimetry MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
In this paper, the role of mesoporous silica (MS) particle size in the stabilization of amorphous simvastatin (SVT) is revealed. For inhibiting recrystallization of the supercooled drug, the two MS materials (Syloid® XDP 3050 and Syloid® 244 FP) were employed. The crystallization tendency of SVT alone and in mixture with the MS materials was investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS). Neither confinement of the SVT molecules inside the MS pores nor molecular interactions between functional groups of the SVT molecules and the surface of the stabilizing excipient could explain the observed stabilization effect. The stabilization effect might be correlated with diffusion length of the SVT molecules in the MS materials that depended on the particle size. Moreover, MS materials possessing different particle sizes could offer free spaces with different sizes, which might influence crystal growth of SVT. All of these factors must be considered when mesoporous materials are used for stabilizing pharmaceutical glasses.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
