PLGA-FITC from PolySciTech used for development of Cromolyn delivery system.

PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc (www.polyscitech.com) provides a wide array of biodegradable polymers. One of the materials which has great use for research and development is FITC end-capped PLGA. This has no particular pharmacological effect, but it makes the polymer fluorescent in that when a blue light (~490 nm) is shined onto the polymer it emits out a green light (~525 nm). This is handy for microscopy applications and other uses where tracking the location of the polymer in a complex system is important. Recently, a research group at the Indian Institute of Technology utilized PolySciTech PLGA-FITC to create a nanoparticle system to improve the oral bioavailability of cromolyn, a drug used for treatment of asthma and various allergic reactions. The use of PLGA-FITC allowed the researchers to track the location of the nanoparticles as they permeated through the intestinal lining in both in-vitro and animal models. Read more: Patel, Ravi R., Sundeep Chaurasia, Gayasuddin Khan, Pramila Chaubey, Nagendra Kumar, and Brahmeshwar Mishra. "Cromolyn Sodium Encapsulated PLGA Nanoparticles: An Attempt to Improve Intestinal Permeation." International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (2015). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141813015301823

“Abstract: High hydrophilicity curtails the intestinal permeation of cromolyn sodium (CS) which in turn compels to compromise with its multiple biological activities. Hence, the present research was intended with an objective to develop CS encapsulated polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) nanoparticles (CS-PNs) for enhancing intestinal permeation. The CS-PNs were prepared by double emulsification solvent evaporation method (W1/O/W2). The “Quality by Design” approach using box-behnken experimental design was employed to enhance encapsulation of CS inside CS-PNs without compromising with particle size. The polymer concentration, surfactant concentration and organic/aqueous phase ratio significantly affected the physicochemical properties of CS-PNs. The optimized CS-PNs were subjected to various solid-state and surface characterization studies using FTIR, DSC, XRD, TEM and AFM, which pointed towards the encapsulation of CS inside the spherical shaped nanoparticles without any physical as well as chemical interactions. Ex-vivo intestinal permeation study demonstrated ∼4 fold improvements in CS permeation by forming CS-PNs as compared to pure CS. Further, in-vivo intestinal uptake study performed using confocal microscopy, after oral administration confirmed the permeation potential of CS-PNs. Thus, the findings of the studies suggest that CS-PNs could provide a superior therapeutic carrier system of CS, with enhanced intestinal permeation. Keywords: Cromolyn sodium; PLGA nanoparticles; Intestinal permeation”