Alternative Methotrexate Oral Formulation: Enhanced Aqueous Solubility, Bioavailability, Photostability, and Permeability

The poor aqueous solubility and/or permeability and thereby limited bioavailability largely restricts the pharmaco-therapeutic implications of potent anticancer drugs such as methotrexate (MTX). Furthermore, MTX's inherently unstable nature makes it difficult to develop a viable oral formulatio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bhupendra Raj Giri (Author), Hyun Seok Yang (Author), Im-Sook Song (Author), Han-Gon Choi (Author), Jung Hyun Cho (Author), Dong Wuk Kim (Author)
Format: Book
Published: MDPI AG, 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to this object online.
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The poor aqueous solubility and/or permeability and thereby limited bioavailability largely restricts the pharmaco-therapeutic implications of potent anticancer drugs such as methotrexate (MTX). Furthermore, MTX's inherently unstable nature makes it difficult to develop a viable oral formulation. In this study we developed the spray-dried amorphous inclusion complexes of MTX with native β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and its derivatives, namely HP-β-CD, M-β-CD, and DM-β-CD to enhance the aqueous solubility, photostability, permeability, and oral bioavailability of MTX in rats. Our findings show that the 1:1 stoichiometry ratio of MTX and CDs improves the aqueous solubility, stability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of the drug, the better results being obtained particularly with DM-β-CD as a host, which has a higher complexation ability with the drug compared to other β-CDs. Specifically, the pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated 2.20- and 3.29-fold increments in AUC and Cmax, respectively, in comparison to free MTX. Even though the absorptive permeability of MTX and MTX/DM-β-CD inclusion complexes was similar, the efflux of the absorbed MTX from ICs was significantly lower compared to the free MTX (4.6- vs. 8.0-fold). Furthermore, the physicochemical characterization employing SEM, DSC, and PXRD confirmed the transformation of crystalline MTX to its amorphous state. In solution, <sup>1</sup>H NMR studies revealed that MTX embedded into the DM-β-CD cavity resulting in both H-3 and H-5 chemical shifts implied the presence of intermolecular interaction between the drug and CD moiety. It was, therefore, evident that an MTX IC could be a successful oral formulation technique, preventing MTX degradation and enhancing its pharmacologically relevant properties.
Item Description:10.3390/pharmaceutics14102073
1999-4923