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Biomedical subjects

K Raghavan

Publications and source records attributed to K Raghavan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Co-solubilization of poorly soluble drugs by micellization and complexation.

The use of combined approach of surfactants and cyclodextrins in solubilization of poorly soluble drugs has been described in literature. In this report, a mathematical model has been developed to provide the quantitative basis for this approach. First, by way of hypothetical examples and simulations, the influence of various interaction parameters on the phase solubility profile is presented. Additionally, the model results are compared with (a) results reported by Yang et al., with NSC-639829, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sulfobutyl-ether-beta-cyclodextrin ((SBE)(7M)-beta-CD) and (b) solubility of methylprednisolone, a model poorly soluble drug, in the presence of its water-soluble 'surfactant-like' prodrug, methylprednisolone 21-hemisuccinate, and (SBE)(7M)-beta-CD. The model shows good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, theoretical simulations show that the combined solubility is less than the sum of the individual solubility values in cyclodextrins and surfactants. Based on the hypothetical case and the two examples, the factors affecting the phase solubility profile in mixed solutions of surfactants and cyclodextrins are presented. Finally, the limitations of the model to explain co-solubilization by surfactants and cyclodextrins are discussed.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗

Rapid analysis of non-uniformly sampled pulsed field gradient data for velocity estimation.

Bretthorst's recent generalization of the Lomb-Scargle periodogram shows that a sufficient statistic for frequency estimation from non-uniformly, but simultaneously sampled quadrature data is equivalent to the FFT of those data with the missing samples replaced by zeros. We have applied this concept to the rapid analysis of pulsed field gradient MRI data which have been non-uniformly sampled in the velocity encoding wave vector q. For a small number of q samples, it is more computationally efficient to calculate the periodogram directly rather than using the FFT algorithm with a large number of zeros. The algorithm we have implemented for finding the peak of the generalized periodogram is simple and robust; it involves repeated apodization and grid searching of the periodogram until the desired velocity resolution is achieved. The final estimate is refined by quadratic interpolation. We have tested the method for fully developed Poiseuille flow of a Newtonian fluid and have demonstrated substantial improvement in the precision of velocity measurement achievable in a fixed acquisition time with non-uniform sampling. The method is readily extendible to multidimensional data. Analysis of a 256 by 256 pixel image with 8 q samples and an effective velocity resolution of better than 1/680 of the Nyquist range requires approximately 1 minute computation time on a 400 MHz SUN Ultrasparc II processor.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

C-reactive protein and buffy coat smear in early diagnosis of childhood septicemia.

Out of 200 cases of septicemia in children (age group 0-14 years), 111 had positive C-Reactive Protein (CRP > 12 mg/l) and 84 were buffy coat smear positive. Blood culture was positive in 98 cases, with predominant organism being Klebsiella pneumoniae, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. CRP test showed 100% sensitivity and 87.3% specificity, while buffy coat smear showed 76.5% sensitivity and 91.2% specificity. As blood culture reports are not available before 48-72 hours, combination of CRP test and buffy coat smear examination will be very helpful in early diagnosis of childhood septicemia.

Bacteremia↗

Application of the electrotopological state index to QSAR analysis of flavone derivatives as HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

PURPOSE: A QSAR study based on electrotopological state (E-state) indices was conducted for a series of flavone HIV-1 integrase inhibitors to guide drug design. METHODS: E-state indices formulated to encode electronic and topological information for each skeletal atom in a molecule (Kier and Hall Pharm. Res. 7:801-807 (1990)) were calculated using the Molconn-X program, and partial least squares (PLS) multivariate regression was used to derive QSAR models. RESULTS: Predictive models with correlation coefficients (r2) of 0.98 (3 PLS components) and 0.99 (5 PLS components) and corresponding cross-validated correlation coefficients (c.v. r2) of 0.51 and 0.73, were obtained for inhibition of cleavage and integration, respectively, with one molecule omitted from the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: E-state indices at C6, C3', C5', C5, and O4 were found to be more important for prediction of activity than those for any of the other 12 flavone skeletal atoms that are common to the molecules in the data set.

Flavonoids↗

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 integrase by curcumin.

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is the yellow pigment in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) that is widely used as a spice, food coloring (curry) and preservative. Curcumin exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-infectious activities and is currently in clinical trials for AIDS patients. The effects of curcumin have been determined on purified human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase. Curcumin has an inhibitory concentration50 (IC50) for strand transfer of 40 microM. Inhibition of an integrase deletion mutant containing only amino acids 50-212 suggests that curcumin interacts with the integrase catalytic core. Two structural analogs, methyl cinnamate and chlorogenic acid, were inactive. Energy minimization studies suggest that the anti-integrase activity of curcumin could be due to an intramolecular stacking of two phenyl rings that brings the hydroxyl groups into close proximity. The present data suggest that HIV-1 integrase inhibition may contribute to the antiviral activity of curcumin. These observations suggest new strategies for antiviral drug development that could be based upon curcumin as a lead compound for the development of inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase.

Antiviral Agents↗

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) of HIV integrase inhibitors: a comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) study.

We present the results from a comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) of a set of flavone analogs that inhibit HIV-1 integrase-mediated cleavage (3'-processing step) and integration (strand transfer step) in vitro. The results indicate a strong correlation between the inhibitory activity of these flavones and the steric and electrostatic fields around them. CoMFA quantitative structure-activity relationship models with considerable predictive ability (cross-validated r2 as high as 0.8) were obtained.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Predictive statistics and artificial intelligence in the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Drug Discovery Program for Cancer and AIDS.

The National Cancer Institute's drug discovery program screens more than 20,000 chemical compounds and natural products a year for activity against a panel of 60 tumor cell lines in vitro. The result is an information-rich database of patterns that form the basis for what we term an "information-intensive" approach to the process of drug discovery. The first step was a demonstration, both by statistical methods (including the program COMPARE) and by neural networks, that patterns of activity in the screen can be used to predict a compound's mechanism of action. Given this finding, the overall plan has been to develop three large matrices of information: the first (designated A) gives the pattern of activity for each compound tested against each cell line in the screen; the second (S) encodes any of a number of types of 2-D or 3-D structural motifs for each compound; the third (T) indicates each cell's expression of molecular targets (e.g., from 2-dimensional protein gel electrophoresis). Construction and updating of these matrices is an ongoing process. The matrices can be concatenated in various ways to test a variety of specific hypotheses about compounds screened, as well as to "prioritize" candidate compounds for testing. To aid in these efforts, we have developed the DISCOVERY program package, which integrates the matrix data for visual pattern recognition. The "information-intensive" approach summarized here in some senses serves to bridge the perceived gap between screening and structure-based drug design.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Stabilization of an anthrapyrazole antitumour agent, DuP 937, on complexation with heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin in aqueous solution.

DuP 937, an anthrapyrazole antitumour agent that is chemically unstable in aqueous solution, was shown, by absorption spectroscopy, to form an inclusion complex with heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (DM beta CD) in aqueous solution. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine the stoichiometry and association constant of the complex. The 1:1 stoichiometry of the complex was established by the continuous variation method by following changes in the chemical shifts of aromatic protons of DuP 937. The complex association constants determined by different techniques used in this study were in the same order of magnitude. The kinetics of degradation of DuP 937 in aqueous solution were investigated as a function of DM beta CD concentration at pH 5.5 and 60 degrees C. The results indicated about a seven-fold increase in the stability of DuP 937 in the presence of DM beta CD in aqueous solution.

Anthraquinones↗

A spectroscopic investigation of DuP 747 polymorphs.

DuP 747, a selective kappa agonist analgesic, was found to have at least two polymorphic forms, and this was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction. DSC and thermomicroscopic studies indicated the polymorphic pair to be monotropic. Solubility studies suggested the relative stability of the two forms to be similar. The infrared (IR) and Raman spectra of the two crystal forms were significantly different, and their complementary nature was shown from the differences in peak intensities. Solid-state 13C-NMR data of the polymorphs showed only minor differences between the two forms. When viewed on the molecular level through the use of vibrational and NMR spectroscopies, the conformation of the molecule in the two polymorphs appears to be roughly equivalent. The magnitude of the spectral differences of the two polymorphs is, however, consistent with those that can be expected for two crystal forms that have resulted from different modes of packing, as caused by the solvent environment.

Analgesics↗

Enhanced delivery of ganciclovir to the brain through the use of redox targeting.

Enhanced delivery of ganciclovir to the brain was demonstrated by a redox-based chemical delivery system. A ganciclovir monoester in which a 1-methyl-1,4-dihydronicotinate was covalently attached to one of the hydroxymethyl functions was prepared. The stability of the ganciclovir chemical delivery system (DHPG-CDS) was evaluated in aqueous buffers and organ homogenates. In vivo distribution studies in the rat indicated that while ganciclovir poorly penetrated into the central nervous system and was rapidly eliminated, DHPG-CDS provided for therapeutically relevant (2.7 microM) and sustained levels of the parent compound through 6 h. An analysis of the area under the concentration curve indicated that the chemical delivery system delivered five times more ganciclovir than that of the parent drug. The high levels in the brain and reduced levels in the blood gave a brain-to-blood drug concentration ratio of 2.54 for ganciclovir when delivered by the chemical delivery system, compared to a ratio of 0.063 when the parent drug was administered. These data suggest that DHPG-CDS could be a useful adjunct for the treatment of cytomegalovirus encephalitis.

Animals↗

A spectroscopic investigation of losartan polymorphs.

Losartan, an antihypertensive agent in clinical development, was found to exist in two enantiotropic polymorphic forms, a low-temperature stable form (Form I) and a high-temperature stable form (Form II), the temperatures at which they are stable being related to the transition temperature. X-ray powder diffraction patterns indicated differences in the crystal packing of the two forms. The vibrational data from infrared and Raman spectroscopy suggested a subtle change in molecular conformation and crystal packing in the two forms. Solid-state 13C NMR data of the polymorphs concurred with the vibrational data and indicated that, while the observed line widths reflect no major changes in crystallinity, signal multiplicities and chemical shifts do reflect differences in molecular packing in the respective unit cells. Thus, in the absence of crystallographic data, useful structural information could be derived from spectroscopic results to identify each of the crystalline forms.

Antihypertensive Agents↗