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Prostate cancer remains a serious condition threatening the health of men. Due to the complicated nature of the tumour microenvironment (TME), conventional treatments face challenges including poor prognosis and tumour resistance, therefore new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Small interfering RNA (siRNA), a double-stranded non-coding RNA, regulates specific gene expression through RNA interference. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a potential therapeutic target in cancer immunotherapy. Colony stimulating factor-1/colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1/CSF-1R) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the polarization of the immunosuppressive TAMs, M2 macrophages. Downregulation of CSF-1R is known to reprogram the immunosuppressive TAMs, M2 macrophages, to the immunostimulatory phenotype, M1 macrophages. Sialic acid is a ligand for Siglec-1 (CD169) which is overexpressed on M2 macrophages with little expression in other phenotypes. Therefore, a sialic acid-targeted cyclodextrin-based nanoparticle was developed to specifically deliver CSF-1R siRNA to M2 macrophages. The nanoparticles were studied in vitro using both human and mouse prostate cancer cell lines. Results show that the targeted nanoparticles achieved cell specific delivery to M2 macrophages via the sialic acid-CD169 axis. The expression of CSF-1R was significantly downregulated in M2 macrophages (29.64% for targeted vs 19.31% for non-targeted nanoparticles in THP-1-derived M2 macrophages and 38.94% for targeted vs 18.51% for non-targeted nanoparticles in RAW 264.7-derived M2 macrophages, n = 4, p < 0.01). The resulting reprograming of M2 macrophages to M1 enhanced the level of apoptosis in the prostate cancer cells in a Transwell model (49.17% for targeted vs 37.68% for non-targeted nanoparticles in PC-3 cells and 69.15% for targeted vs 44.73% for non-targeted nanoparticles in TRAMP C1 cells, n = 3, p < 0.01). Thus, this targeted cyclodextrin-based siRNA drug delivery system provides a potential strategy for prostate cancer immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Declarations of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The absorption of orally administered drug products is a complex, dynamic process, dependant on a range of biopharmaceutical properties; notably the aqueous solubility of a molecule, stability within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and permeability. From a regulatory perspective, the concept of high intestinal permeability is intrinsically linked to the fraction of the oral dose absorbed. The relationship between permeability and the extent of absorption means that experimental models of permeability have regularly been used as a surrogate measure to estimate the fraction absorbed. Accurate assessment of a molecule's intestinal permeability is of critical importance during the pharmaceutical development process of oral drug products, and the current review provides a critique of in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo approaches. The usefulness of in silico models to predict drug permeability is also discussed and an overview of solvent systems used in permeability assessments is provided. Studies of drug absorption in humans are an indirect indicator of intestinal permeability, but both in vitro and ex vivo tools provide initial screening approaches and are important tools for assessment of permeability in drug development. Continued refinement of the accuracy of in silico approaches and their validation with human in vivo data will facilitate more efficient characterisation of permeability earlier in the drug development process and will provide useful inputs for integrated, end-to-end absorption modelling., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Drug product performance might be affected in Crohn's disease (CD) patients compared to healthy subjects due to pathophysiological changes. Since a low number of clinical studies is performed in this patient population, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models with integrated results from biorelevant in vitro dissolution studies could be used to assess differences in the bioavailability of drugs. Using this approach, budesonide was used as model drug and its performance in healthy subjects and CD patients was predicted and compared against observed pharmacokinetic data. The in vitro release tests, under healthy versus CD conditions, revealed a similar extent of drug release from a controlled-release budesonide formulation in the fasted state, whereas in the fed state a lower extent was observed with CD. Differences in the physiology of CD patients were identified in literature and their impact on budesonide performance was investigated with a PBPK model, revealing the highest impact on the simulated bioavailability for the reduced hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme abundance and lower human serum albumin concentration. For CD patients, a higher budesonide exposure compared to healthy subjects was predicted with a PBPK population adapted to CD physiology and in agreement with observed pharmacokinetic data. Budesonide performance in the fasted and fed state was successfully predicted in healthy subjects and CD patients using PBPK modeling and in vitro release testing. Following this approach, predictions of the direction and magnitude of changes in bioavailability due to CD could be made for other drugs and guide prescribers to adjust dosage regimens for CD patients accordingly., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In order to investigate differences in drug solubilisation and dissolution in luminal fluids of Crohn's disease (CD) patients and healthy subjects, biorelevant media representative of CD patients were developed using information from literature and a Design of Experiment (DoE) approach. The CD media were characterised in terms of surface tension, osmolality, dynamic viscosity and buffer capacity and compared to healthy biorelevant media. To identify which drug characteristics are likely to present a high risk of altered drug solubility in CD, the solubility of six drugs was assessed in CD media and solubility differences were related to drug properties. Identified differences in CD patients compared to healthy subjects were a reduced concentration of bile salts, a higher gastric pH and a higher colonic osmolality. Differences in the properties of CD compared to healthy biorelevant media were mainly observed for surface tension and osmolality. Drug solubility of ionisable compounds was altered in gastric CD media compared to healthy biorelevant media. For drugs with moderate to high lipophilicity, a high risk of altered drug solubilisation in CD is expected, since a significant negative effect of log P and a positive effect of bile salts on drug solubility in colonic and fasted state intestinal CD media was observed. Simulating the conditions in CD patients in vitro offers the possibility to identify relevant differences in drug solubilisation without conducting expensive clinical trials., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro tool for predicting drug solubility and dissolution in intestinal fluids of patients with Celiac disease (CED). Biorelevant media for patients with CED were developed based on published information and a Design of Experiment (DoE) approach. The CED biorelevant media were characterised according to their surface tension, osmolality, dynamic viscosity and buffer capacity. By performing solubility studies of six drugs with different physicochemical properties in CED media, we aimed to identify drugs at high risk of altered luminal solubility in CED patients. Identified differences in CED patients compared to healthy subjects were related to a higher concentration of bile salts, lecithin and cholesterol and included as factors in the DoE resulting in 8 CED biorelevant media. Differences in media properties were observed for the surface tension between biorelevant media based on CED patients and healthy subjects. In terms of solubility, only a minimal effect of CED on the solubility of the hydrophilic neutral compound azathioprine was observed. For neutral moderately lipophilic compounds (budesonide, celecoxib), a higher surfactant concentration resulted in most cases in a higher drug solubility, while it was specific to each drug whether this was mainly driven by bile salts or lecithin. In comparison, drug solubilisation of ionisable compounds with moderate to high lipophilicity was less impacted by CED differences. The developed biorelevant CED media serve as in vitro tool to identify the main media factors impacting on drug solubility., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interests None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gene therapy with RNA and pDNA-based drugs is limited by poor enzymatic stability and poor cellular permeation. The delivery of nucleic acids, in particular by the oral route, remains a major hurdle. This review will focus on the barriers to the oral delivery of nucleic acids and the strategies, in particular formulation strategies, which have been developed to overcome these barriers. Due to their very low oral bioavailability, the most obvious and most investigated biomedical applications for their oral delivery are related to the local treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancers. Preclinical data but not yet clinical studies support the potential use of the oral route for the local delivery of formulated nucleic acid-based drugs., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Functional siRNAs (luciferase and PLK1) have been conjugated to β-cyclodextrin and the ability of the conjugates to retain gene knockdown activity has been assessed by delivery to cancer cell lines using various formulations. Initially two formulations used complexation with polycations, namely Lipofectamine 2000 and an amphiphilic polycationic cyclodextrin. Gene knockdown results for human glioblastoma cells (U87) and prostate cancer cells (PC3, DU145) showed that conjugation to the cyclodextrin did not reduce gene silencing by the RNA. A third mode of delivery involved formation of targeted nanoparticles in which the conjugate was first complexed with adamantyl-PEG-ligands (targeting ligand RVG peptide or dianisamide) by adamantyl inclusion in the cyclodextrin cavities of the conjugates, followed by charge neutralisation with the cationic polymer chitosan. Enhanced knockdown was achieved by these ligand-targeted formulations. In summary, while this study illustrated the gene silencing efficacy of a simple cyclodextrin-siRNA conjugate it is envisaged that future studies will explore the use of conjugates with a modified cyclodextrin which would be self-delivering. Detailed data such as stability, lysosomal escape etc. will then be reported for each conjugate, since this will be appropriate for conjugates which are intended to exploit, rather than merely demonstrate, the concept. The present paper was intended to demonstrate the viability and generality of this novel concept., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In man brain cancer is an aggressive, malignant form of tumour, it is highly infiltrative in nature, is associated with cellular heterogeneity and affects cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Current drug therapies are inadequate and an unmet clinical need exists to develop new improved therapeutics. The ability to silence genes associated with disease progression by using short interfering RNA (siRNA) presents the potential to develop safe and effective therapies. In this work, in order to protect the siRNA from degradation, promote cell specific uptake and enhance gene silencing efficiency, a PEGylated cyclodextrin (CD)-based nanoparticle, tagged with a CNS-targeting peptide derived from the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) was formulated and characterized. The modified cyclodextrin derivatives were synthesized and co-formulated to form nanoparticles containing siRNA which were analysed for size, surface charge, stability, cellular uptake and gene-knockdown in brain cancer cells. The results identified an optimised co-formulation prototype at a molar ratio of 1:1.5:0.5 (cationic cyclodextrin:PEGylated cyclodextrin:RVG-tagged PEGylated cyclodextrin) with a size of 281 ± 39.72 nm, a surface charge of 26.73 ± 3 mV, with efficient cellular uptake and a 27% gene-knockdown ability. This CD-based formulation represents a potential nanocomplex for systemic delivery of siRNA targeting brain cancer., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polycationic cyclodextrins (CDs) were complexed with plasmid DNA and their effectiveness as vectors was tested on COS-7 cells. These CDs were modified with pyridylamino, alkylimidazole, methoxyethylamino or primary amine groups at 6-positions of the glucose units. Uncharged CDs, beta-CD, hydroxypropyl-beta-CD, and dimethyl-beta-CD were also tested, but these did not form stable complexes with the DNA and produced only a slight improvement in transfection level over DNA alone. The polycationic CDs neutralised DNA to form stable nanoparticulate complexes. The transfection efficiency of these CDs was dependent on the substituents present, with the most efficient having either an amino, pyridylamino or butylimidazole group at the 6-positions and unmodified 2- and 3-hydroxyls. One of the most effective vectors, heptakispyridylamino CD, produced a 4000-fold increase in transfection level over DNA alone. Levels were improved 10-fold by use of the endosomolytic agent, chloroquine. The transfection efficiency of the best of these systems in serum equals that of DOTAP in serum. Studies with (32)P-labelled plasmid DNA indicate that the polycationic CDs are exceptional promoters of DNA cellular-uptake, the most efficient surpassing DOTAP. Uptake is dependent on proteoglycan-mediated binding to cells. The data imply that intracellular trafficking but not cellular uptake, may be the rate-limiting step in the transfection process. These initial results indicate that CDs are useful templates for further modification to produce molecular constructs capable of enhanced gene delivery.

The current state of the art of intestinal lymphatic transport is given by reviewing the more recent publications, which have utilized lipid-based vehicles. The results published often show variable trends depending on, the design of the vehicle, the components used, the physicochemical properties of the drug, the animal model and experimental techniques, these variables often make direct comparisons difficult. Traditionally intestinal lymphatic delivery has been expressed as a percentage of the dose transported in the lymph. Using this parameter results obtained to date, with lipid-based vehicles, are somewhat disappointing maximising at approximately 20-30%, for highly lipophilic compounds including DDT and halofantrine (Hf). Recent data, monitoring Hf, in a fed versus fasted dog study, have shown that a higher degree of lymphatic transport is possible (>50% dose) in the postprandial state, this study should result in stimulating renewed interest in the potential of achieving significant levels of lymphatic targeting. Although some relevant features controlling lymphatic transport have been identified over the years a deeper appreciation of all the mechanisms, which is vital for therapeutic exploitation of lymphatic transport, is still unrealized. This review analyses the success and limitations of a formulation approach using lipid-based vehicles and highlights potential areas for further research.