1.Subcutaneously administered ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles containing doxycycline hydrochloride target lymphatic filarial parasites.
Singh Y, Srinivas A, Gangwar M, Meher JG, Misra-Bhattacharya S, Chourasia MK. Mol Pharm. 2016 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Systemic chemotherapeutic targeting of filarial parasites is unfocussed due to their deep seated location in lymphatic vessels. This warrants prolonged dosing regimen in high doses for an anthelmintic like Doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX). In order to provide an alternative, we have constructed ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles of DOX (DPNPs), so as to exploit the peculiarity of lymphatic vasculature underneath sub cutaneous layer of skin, which preferentially allows entry of only 10-100 nm sized particles. DPNPs were constructed using a novel solvent diffusion method aided by probe-sonication, which resulted in an average size 95.43±0.8 nm as per DLS, PDI 0.168±0.03, zeta potential -7.38±0.32, entrapment efficiency 75.58±1.94% and refrigerator stability of 7 days. TEM further substantiated the notion that non hydrated size of particles was well below 100 nm and they were impeccably spherical in shape. FTIR analysis of DOX and freeze dried DPNPs revealed that formulation step did not induce prominent changes in chemical nature of DOX.
2.Feasibility study on combination chemotherapy using nogitecan hydrochloride (topotecan) and cisplatin for patients with metastatic, persistent, or recurrent uterine cervical cancer.
Shimada M1, Sato S2, Oishi T2, Itamochi H3, Kigawa J4, Takeshima N5, Aoki D6, Aoki Y7, Nambu Y8, Ochiai K9. Int J Clin Oncol. 2016 May 3. [Epub ahead of print]
BACKGROUND: The standard chemotherapeutic regimen for stage IVB, persistent, or recurrent uterine cervical cancer is platinum-based combination chemotherapy such as cisplatin (CDDP)/paclitaxel and CDDP/nogitecan hydrochloride (NGT, topotecan). Because it is unclear whether the CDDP/NGT combination chemotherapy is tolerable for Japanese patients, we conducted the present study to assess the feasibility of CDDP/NGT combination chemotherapy.
