ARV-110, a novel proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), has been reported to show satisfactory safety and tolerability for prostate cancer therapy in phase I clinical trials. However, there is a lack of bioanalytical assays for ARV-110 determination in biological samples. In this study, we developed and validated an LC-MS/MS method for the quantitation of ARV-110 in rat and mouse plasma and applied it to pharmacokinetic studies. ARV-110 and pomalidomide (internal standard) were extracted from the plasma samples using the protein precipitation method. Sample separation was performed using a C18 column and a mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in distilled water–0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (30:70, v/v). Multiple reaction monitoring was used to quantify ARV-110 and pomalidomide with ion transitions at m/z 813.4 → 452.2 and 273.8 → 201.0, respectively. The developed method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 2–3000 ng/mL with acceptable accuracy, precision, matrix effect, process efficiency, and recovery. ARV-110 was stable in rat and mouse plasma under long-term storage, three freeze-thaw cycles, and in an autosampler, but unstable at room temperature and 37 °C. Furthermore, the elimination of ARV-110 via phase 1 metabolism in rat, mouse, and human hepatic microsomes was shown to be unlikely. Application of the developed method to pharmacokinetic studies revealed that the oral bioavailability of ARV-110 in rats and mice was moderate (23.83% and 37.89%, respectively). These pharmacokinetic findings are beneficial for future preclinical and clinical studies of ARV-110 and/or other PROTACs.

Orlistat-loaded solid SNEDDS for the enhanced solubility, dissolution, and in vivo performance Dae Hun Kim,1,* Jae Yeol Kim,1,* Rae Man Kim,1 Pooja Maharjan,1 Yu-Geun Ji,2 Dong-Jin Jang,3 Kyoung Ah Min,1 Tae-Sung Koo,2 Kwan Hyung Cho1 1Department of Pharmacy, Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, Gimhae, Republic of Korea; 2Graduate School of New Drug Discovery and Development, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae, Republic of Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The present study aimed to develop orlistat-loaded solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system preconcentrate (SSP) with the minimum use of lipid excipients for the enhanced solubility, in vitro dissolution, lipase inhibition, and in vivo performance. Materials and methods: In the screening of solubilizing vehicles, Solutol HS15 and Lauroglycol 90 were selected as the surfactant and oil phase, respectively. A pseudo-ternary phase diagram composed of Solutol HS15, Lauroglycol 90, and orlistat as an anti-obesity agent and lipid component was constructed, and the SSP regions were confirmed in terms of the particle size distribution in water, melting point by differential scanning calorimetry, and crystallinity by X-ray diffraction. Results: Physicochemical interaction between Solutol HS15 and orlistat resulted in SSP with various melting points in the range of 26°C~33°C. The representative maximum orlistat-loaded SSP (orlistat/Solutol HS15/Lauroglycol 90=55/40/5, weight ratio) showed the melting point of 32.23°C and constructed uniform nanoemulsion with the particle size of 141.7±1.1 nm dispersed in water. In the dissolution test at pH 1.2 without any detergent, the SSP reached 98.12%±0.83% until 45 minutes, whereas raw orlistat showed no significant dissolution rate. The dissolution samples containing SSP showed a lipase inhibition of 90.42%±1.58% within 45 minutes. In terms of the reduction level of fat absorption in rats, the intake group of SSP gave a significantly higher fat excretion into stool than the one observed in the raw orlistat group (P<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the suggested novel SSP formulation would be an effective and promising candidate for the treatment of obesity. Keywords: orlistat, solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system, lipase inhibition, fat absorption

Raloxifene hydrochloride (RLH) was formulated into a pH-modified supersaturatable self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SMEDDS) to increase drug solubility and dissolution rate. Optimal formulations of pH-modified S-SMEDDSs were developed by incorporating hydroxypropyl-cellulose-L as a precipitation inhibitor and phosphoric acid as a pH modifier (an acidifier). RLH was dissolved to greater extents by all pH-modified S-SMEDDSs compared with non-pH-modified S-SMEDDSs. In particular, phosphoric acid afforded greater drug dissolution than did the other acidifiers tested, perhaps because phosphoric acid better controlled the pH. More than 50% of the RLH was released from the pH-modified S-SMEDDS at pH 2.5 compared with only ~5% of the drug into aqueous buffer (pH 1.2 or 6.8) after dissolution of a conventional tablet. pH-modified S-SMEDDSs with a hydrophilic polymer and phosphoric acid improved the dissolution behavior of a drug exhibiting poor aqueous solubility.