In vitro and in vivo evaluation of an in situ gel forming system for the delivery of PEGylated octreotide

The objective of this study was to develop a controlled delivery system for PEGylated octreotide using a Poloxamer based in situ gel forming polymer. PEGylated octreotide kept its full biological activity and higher serum half-life compared to the original octreotide. The designed drug delivery system contained low concentration of Poloxamer 407 (P407) (<0.16%) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a polymeric additive. Rheological measurements of gel vehicle formulations indicated that the in situ gel forming system with optimum sol–gel transition temperature of 28.7 °C could be formed using a combination of P407 and PVA at ratio of 15–10% (w/v). The effect of formulation additives such as buffering agents on rheological behavior demonstrated that sodium bicarbonate and lactic acid have opposite effect on sol–gel transition temperature of the system. Using buffering agents, it was possible to shift the sol–gel transition to lower or higher temperatures. The in vitro release profiles of octreotide and PEGylated octreotide from the selected P407/PVA formulations were measured using a membrane-less device. PEGylated octreotide showed slower release rate from the gel system with different release kinetic compared to octreotide. In animal studies, a sustained release rate was achieved with both PEGylated and non-PEGylated octreotide, but longer delivery was observed for PEGylated octreotide. Tissue histopathological studies confirmed the biocompatibility of the delivery system for PEGylated octreotide, supporting the suitability of P407/PVA mixture as an injectable drug delivery system. The total effects of increasing PEGylated peptide half-life and prolonged release from thermoresponsive gel system offer the potential for sustained delivery of PEGylated octreotide.

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