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Atazanavir-Concentrate Loaded Soft Gelatin Capsule for Enhanced Concentration in Plasma, Brain, Spleen, and Lymphatics

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  • Recent Advances on Drug Delivery Systems for Viral Infections
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Abstract

This study investigates the development of atazanavir-concentrate loaded soft gelatin capsule for achieving enhanced atazanavir (ATV) concentration in plasma, brain, spleen, and lymphatics beneficial in the significant reduction of viral load in HIV infection. For this purpose, ATV-concentrate in the presence and absence of Soluplus with corn oil, oleic acid, tween 80, and propylene glycol was developed. The developed ATV-concentrate was found to have enhanced dispersibility with no signs of precipitation after dilution with simulated G.I fluid as evident from particle size (16.49±0.32 nm) and PDI (0.217±0.02) analysis. The rheological and molecular docking studies explainedthe reduction of viscosity of SuATV-C due to the intermolecular H-bond between ATV and Soluplus that helps to retard crystallization. The shell of the soft gelatin capsule retains its integrity when subjected to a folding endurance test on a texture analyzer depicting that the concentrate did not affect the integrity of the soft gelatin capsule shell. An ex vivo and in vivo pharmacokinetic study in rats revealed that the SuATV-C soft gelatin capsule (SuATV-C SGC) indicated 2.9 fold improvement in rate and extent of permeation and absorption than that of ATV-suspension. The tissue distribution study also exhibited higher drug concentration in the brain (2.5 fold), lymph nodes (2.7 fold), and spleen (1.2 fold) administered with SuATV-C SGC, revealing the overwhelming influence of Soluplus and corn oil. In a nutshell, these studies demonstrated that SuATV-C SGC seems to have the potential to deliver an anti-retroviral drug to the viral sanctuaries for the better management of HIV.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India, for providing Direct-SRF (sanction no. 09/140(0176)/2019-EMR-I). The generous supply of atazanavir sulfate from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Gurugram, India, is also appreciated. The authors are also thankful to Gattefosses.a., BASF, and Croda Chemicals, for their kind donation of the surfactants and the oils used in this study.

Funding

This research work was supported by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India (Grant No. 09/140(0176)/2019-EMR-I).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutics Division, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, 147002, India

    Sheshank Sethi & Vikas Rana

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  1. Sheshank Sethi
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  2. Vikas Rana
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Vikas Rana.

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Sethi, S., Rana, V. Atazanavir-Concentrate Loaded Soft Gelatin Capsule for Enhanced Concentration in Plasma, Brain, Spleen, and Lymphatics. AAPS PharmSciTech 23, 270 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249-022-02428-0

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