18^th Annual Pharmaceutical And Chemical Analysis Congress November 05-06, 2018 Madrid, Spain

Miroslav Pohanka has completed his graduation in Chemistry at Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic in 2003; Doctor of Natural Science in Biochemistry at Masaryk University in 2006 and PhD in Biochemistry in 2008. He is an Associate Professor in Toxicology at University of Defense, Czech Republic in 2012 and Doctor of Sciences in Analytical Chemistry at Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic in 2014 and Professor in Analytical Chemistry at University of Pardubice, Czech Republic in 2016. He is an Author of more than 200 papers in journals with IF and his works were more than 2000 times cited according Web of Science.

Albumin is a protein serving as a standard marker in biochemistry which is assayed in the blood, blood serum or blood plasma. It serves as a marker in liver function test but its diagnostics importance has more applications. Currently, albumin can be determined by standard immunochemical like ELISA and spectral methods. In this study, immunosensor based on the piezoelectric 10 MHz Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) was constructed to determine albumin in levels corresponding with expected concentration biological samples. The immunosensor contained an antibody specific to albumin interdigitated on a gold electrode of QCM by protein A. The immunosensor was used for the determination of albumin and limit of detection 0.234 mg/ml was reached in the calibration. The limit of detection is lower than the expected albumin plasma level which is 35–55 mg/ml. The immunosensor assay exerted full correlation with the standard ELISA and the immunosensor had also good long-term stability lasting for at least two months. The determination of albumin is a tool suitable for practical use in field therapy or home care conditions. No specific treatment of samples is necessary but specificity and sensitivity typical for ELISA is reached.

Nino Fuchs is a PhD student at the University of Rijeka, Department of Biotechnology. He is appointed as a MD at University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia. His professional interest is focused on plastic and reconstructive surgery. His research interest is focused on the interactions of antineoplastic drugs with herbal supplements on animal experimental models.

Irinotecan (IRI) represents one of the most important antineoplastic drugs used in the chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer. Its use is accompanied by various adverse effects such as diarrhoea, myelosuppression and hepatotoxicity. To diminish side-effects, some cancer patients use Cannabis sativa preparations, rich on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The potentially harmful interactions resulting from co-administration of chemotherapy with biologically based complementary therapies have not yet been explained well, which motivated us to conduct a study on a Wistar rat model using a THC dose equal to the one found in commonly used illicit preparations. Male rats were concomitantly exposed to IRI (at 100 mg/kg b.w, administered once i.p.) and THC (administered repeatedly for 3 and 7 days per os at 7 mg/kg b.w). Single IRI, THC and control groups were studied in parallel. We estimated changes in brain weight caused by the treatments and evaluated the level of primary DNA damage in the brain cells of exposed and control rats using alkaline comet assay. Combined treatment slightly diminished brain weights compared to controls after both exposure times. The 3-day treatment resulted in significantly increased levels of DNA damage in brain cells of rats given single IRI, which worsened after concomitant exposure to THC. Single THC caused a minor increase of DNA damage compared to control rats. After the 7-day treatment, levels of DNA damage in rats given single IRI and IRI+THC slightly lowered, but were still significantly higher than in control rats. Prolonged exposure to THC resulted in a further increase of DNA damage. The obtained results speak against the concomitant use of THC with IRI, due to the possible enhancement of brain damage, but these findings have to be proven in forthcoming studies using much wider dose ranges of both compounds.

Cristiane P Pere has her expertise in drug delivery systems. In her Masters, she worked with nanoparticles obtained by spray drying. In her PhD, she has worked with coated metallic and 3D printed biocompatible MN for insulin delivery. The focus of her work was to develop stable insulin formulations for rapid released using MNs.

Microneedles (MNs) are an attractive approach for transdermal delivery for the delivery of drugs which undergo enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract or present difficulties to permeate it. MN systems are composed of micrometric needles included in the same array and can be manufactured using different materials and techniques which usually require many steps and are difficult to scale up. Here, we present biocompatible microneedles manufactured by stereolithography (SLA) - a 3D printing technique where MN patches of various designs are built in a layer – by – layer manner. The MN patches are subsequently coated with insulin-carrier formulations via inkjet printing. A stereolithographic printer was employed to print arrays featuring pyramid needle designs. The microneedles were then coated with insulin-sugar formulations at a 5:1 ratio, using inkjet printing. The quality of the produced microneedles and coatings was evaluated by x-ray computer micro tomography (μCT) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The native structure of insulin was analyzed by circular dichroism and possible changes and interactions of insulin in the formulation were studied by Raman spectroscopy. In vitro studies were carried out using Franz diffusion cells and in vivo animal studies were done using diabetic mice treated with 0.2 IU of insulin/array and monitored up to 4 hours after administration with a glucometer. The SEM and μCT evaluations showed that the microneedle arrays were printed with high accuracy and reproducibility. Inkjet printing led to the formation of thin and uniform layers with high precision and reproducibility. All carriers were found to preserve insulin integrity. Franz cell diffusion studies revealed rapid insulin release rates within 30 min. In vivo studies showed a remarkable steady state hypoglycemia effect which continued up to 4 hours. In conclusion, 3D printing stereolithographic technique can be employed to fabricate MNs which when combined with a highly accurate coating technique such as inkjet printing can yield microneedle systems that rapidly deliver insulin through the skin

Ekhoerose Valentine Onaiwu is a second year PhD student at Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University, Leicester. His current research focus is on pharmaceutical nanoparticle engineering using the electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) system in the modelling and engineering of pharmaceutical particles. His current work has yielded a novel multi-tip nozzle system that has been found to have increased formulation output as well as stable and controlled particle size with potential for upscaling in pharmaceutical industry.

Micro and nanoparticle engineering using the electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technology has received greater focus in recent years compared to other particle engineering methods due to its many advantages which includes greater particle size control and morphology alteration. This technology is based on the droplet formation which yield desired particle characteristics due to Taylor cone enablement at the nozzle tip. This study involved the utilization of a novel multi-tip emitter (MTE) device which was designed and engineered for possible EHDA up scaling. An active ketoprofen (KETO) was used in the formulation with a polymer matrix material polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer. Ethanol and distilled water was used as vehicle for production of PVP polymer with ketoprofen (5% w/w of PVP). Physical property evaluation was carried out on resulting solution and electrospraying of formulation using both novel MTE and conventional single nozzle system at various flow rates. Ethanol and distilled water was used to prepare PVP polymer solution with ketoprofen (5% w/w of PVP) then physical properties were obtained for resulting formulations. Electrospraying was done using both novel MTE and conventional single needle device at different flow rates (5-300 μl/min) and applied voltages (0-30 kV) applying various process parameters. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to analyze resulting particles. Digital optical camera recordings confirmed formation of stable jet at higher flow rates while electron micrograph confirmed stable jet derived more near uniform particles, particle size variation observed were due to nozzle head design. TGA, DSC, and XRD confirm encapsulated KETO molecules were dispersed in nanoparticles. In conclusion, the MTE enabled stable atomization at higher flow rates compared to the conventional single needle device. This indicates an exciting approach for scaling-up (EHDA) in contrast to current efforts focusing on multiple nozzle outlets.

Aliyah S Zaman is currently a PhD student starting his third year of research work within the area of biomaterial engineering. He has progressed rapidly with his research through hard work and dedication, and he is currently undertaking experiments as part of his PhD whilst writing paper for publication specifically relevant to his research. He supports first year pharmacy students within their practical classes assisting with relevant calculations and the process required to produce certain products, alongside which he also mark their work and provide feedback.

The electro hydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique is optimized for the production of uniform nanoparticles via the atomization of liquids through the use of electrical forces. The EHDA technique is a single step process specifically used for the production of particles and fibers in the micro/nano range. It is possible to use this process for the encapsulation of drugs/ actives within a polymeric matrix for release over time. The efficiency of particle engineering is affected by a number of factors namely the flow rate of polymeric solution, applied voltage and finally the distance between the nozzle and the collection plate. The electrospraying process gives rise to the production of nanoparticles (NPs) which can be used as particulate active matrix systems. The electrospraying process was deployed for polymers (PCL, PLGA and PMSQ) with varying hydrophobicities and was investigated to determine the impact of engineering parameters on the hydrophobic nature and outcome of polymer solutions. The physical properties of the polymeric solutions were characterized and these solutions were then sprayed using electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) and were analysed using optical and SEM. The spraying process was optimized using varying flow rates and applied voltages for each medium, these were found to be 80 μL/min and 13.2 kV for PCL, 80 μL/ min and 10.2 kV for PLGA and 80 μL/min and 15.5 kV for PMSQ. The process was observed using real time imaging (optical zoom camera and several jetting modes were observed). SEM showed the formation of spherical uniform particles for PCL, particles formed from PLGA also showed the formation of spherical particles, however these had agglomerated appreciably and finally PMSQ displayed bowl shaped morphology after processing. It is possible to suggest both process parameters and the hydrophobic nature of the polymer play a part in topographical and morphological features of nanoparticles.

Microwave-assisted formulation is becoming an established method of formulation in industry, providing a fast, economic and environmentally more favourable way to create products, such as those manufactured in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the effect of microwave-induced heating on a compound, or a mixture of compounds, is yet to be fully explored; possibly indicating that this method of the formulation may not be suitable in all cases. In this study, the effect of microwave heating was investigated through the application of microwave thermal analysis to six model pharmaceutical compounds and a set of four model excipients. Benzocaine, haloperidol, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone were analysed, along with four excipients, namely β-cyclodextrin, D-mannitol, stearic acid and Syloid® silica (XDP 3050) using microwave thermal analysis. Samples were heated by microwave irradiation at 5°C/min to a minimum of 160°C, held isothermally and then slowly cooled to room temperature. Thermal profiles were analysed and compared with data obtained using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot stage microscopy (HSM). Overall, it was found that the process of microwave heating produced different thermal profiles to those seen using traditional, conductive heating. Investigating differences in thermal profiles can be a useful way to consider the effect of microwave-induced heating on formulations which can, in turn, help guide formulation choices.