Juseung Lee

(1) Background: Solid dispersion (SD) can help increase the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. Meanwhile, apixaban (APX)—a new anticoagulation drug—has low water solubility (0.028 mg/mL) and low intestinal permeability (0.9 × 10⁻⁶ cm/s across Caco-2 colonic cells), thus resulting in a low oral bioavailability of ® was prepared, characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques and evaluated for its solubility, intestinal permeability and pharmacokinetic performance. (3) Results: The crystallinity of the prepared APX SD was confirmed. The saturation solubility and apparent permeability coefficient increased 5.9 and 2.54 times compared to that of raw APX, respectively. After oral administration to the rats, the bioavailability of APX SD was improved by 2.31-fold compared to that of APX suspension (4) Conclusions: The present study introduced a new APX SD that potentially exhibits better solubility and permeability, thus increasing APX’s bioavailability.

Colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastasis has a poor prognosis because of inadequate responses to systemic chemotherapy. Cytoreductive surgery followed by intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy using oxaliplatin has attracted attention; however, the short half-life of oxaliplatin and its rapid clearance from the peritoneal cavity limit its clinical application. Here, a multivesicular liposomal (MVL) depot of oxaliplatin was prepared for IP administration, with an expected prolonged effect. After optimization, a combination of phospholipids, cholesterol, and triolein was used based on its ability to produce MVL depots of monomodal size distribution (1–20 µm; span 1.99) with high entrapment efficiency (EE) (92.16% ± 2.17%). An initial burst release followed by a long lag phase of drug release was observed for the MVL depots system in vitro. An in vivo pharmacokinetic study mimicking the early postoperative IP chemotherapy regimen in rats showed significantly improved bioavailability, and the mean residence time of oxaliplatin after IP administration revealed that slow and continuous erosion of the MVL particles yielded a sustained drug release. Thus, oxaliplatin-loaded MVL depots presented in this study have potential for use in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Indirubin is an active component of Dang Gui Long Hui Wan, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory diseases as well as for the prevention and treatment of human cancer, such as chronic myeloid leukemia. The therapeutic effects of indirubin analogs have been underestimated due to its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. To improve the solubility and bioavailability of indirubin analogs, we prepared a mixed micellar formulation with Kolliphor® EL and Tween 80 as surfactants, and PEG 400 as a co-surfactant, followed by complexation with (2-hydroxyproply)-β-cyclodextrin at appropriate ratios. Overall, improving the solubility and skin penetration of indirubin analogs can increase clinical efficacy and provide maximum flux through the skin.