Hajnalka Pataki

Solvent-free melt electrospinning for preparation of fast dissolving drug delivery system and comparison with solvent-based electrospun and melt extruded systems

The solvent-free melt electrospinning (MES) method was developed to prepare a drug delivery system with fast release of carvedilol (CAR), a drug with poor water solubility. To the authors knowledge, this is the first report for preparing drug-loaded melt electrospun fibers. Cationic methacrylate copolymer of Eudragit® E type was used as a fiber forming polymer matrix. For comparison, ethanol-based electrospinning and melt extrusion (EX) methods were used to produce samples that had the same composition as the melt electrospun system. According to the results of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry investigations, amorphous solid nanodispersions/solutions of CAR in Eudragit® E matrix were obtained in all cases with 20 m/m % drug content. In vitro drug release in acidic media from the extrudates was significantly faster (5 min) than that from crystalline CAR. Moreover, ultrafast drug release was achieved from the solvent-free melt and ethanol-based electrospun samples because of their huge surface area and the soluble polymer matrix in the acidic media. These results demonstrate that solvent-free MES is a promising, novel technique for the production of drug delivery systems with enhanced dissolution because it can combine the advantages of EX (e.g., solvent-free, continuous process, and effective amorphization) and solvent-based electrospinning (huge product surface area).

Plasticized Drug‐Loaded Melt Electrospun Polymer Mats: Characterization, Thermal Degradation, and Release Kinetics

Melt electrospinning (MES) was used to prepare fast dissolving fibrous drug delivery systems in the presence of plasticizers. This new method was found promising in the field of pharmaceutical formulation because it combines the advantages of melt extrusion and solvent-based electrospinning. Lowering of the process temperature was performed using plasticizers in order to avoid undesired thermal degradation. Carvedilol (CAR), a poorly water-soluble and thermal-sensitive model drug, was introduced into an amorphous methacrylate terpolymer matrix, Eudragit® E, suitable for fiber formation. Three plasticizers (triacetin, Tween® 80, and polyethylene glycol 1500) were tested, all of which lowered the process temperature effectively. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Raman microspectrometry investigations showed that crystalline CAR turned into an amorphous form during processing and preserved it for longer time. In vitro dissolution studies revealed ultrafast drug dissolution of the fibrous samples. According to the HPLC impurity tests, the reduced stability of CAR under conditions applied without plasticizer could be avoided using plasticizers, whereas storage tests also indicated the importance of optimizing the process parameters during MES.

Characterization of melt extruded and conventional Isoptin formulations using Raman chemical imaging and chemometrics

Isoptin SR-E (Meltrex(®)) extruded tablets were assumed in a recent paper to be prepared with a composition different from a conventional (Isoptin SR) formulation. This study reveals, however, using Raman mapping and chemometric evaluation, that in fact the same composition, comprising Na alginate as polymer matrix, is used in both products. It means that only the difference in the manufacturing technology causes the reported sustained release of verapamil hydrochloride even in ethanol containing dissolution media. The products are compared based on the obtained Raman chemical images, which allowed concluding in a new structure-based explanation for the differences in the dissolution profiles in the presence of ethanol. It is also shown that extrusion technology influences the dissolution profile effectively, even in the cases when solid solution is formed only partially.

Testing the performance of pure spectrum resolution from Raman hyperspectral images of differently manufactured pharmaceutical tablets.

Chemical imaging is a rapidly emerging analytical method in pharmaceutical technology. Due to the numerous chemometric solutions available, characterization of pharmaceutical samples with unknown components present has also become possible. This study compares the performance of current state-of-the-art curve resolution methods (multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares, positive matrix factorization, simplex identification via split augmented Lagrangian and self-modelling mixture analysis) in the estimation of pure component spectra from Raman maps of differently manufactured pharmaceutical tablets. The batches of different technologies differ in the homogeneity level of the active ingredient, thus, the curve resolution methods are tested under different conditions. An empirical approach is shown to determine the number of components present in a sample. The chemometric algorithms are compared regarding the number of detected components, the quality of the resolved spectra and the accuracy of scores (spectral concentrations) compared to those calculated with classical least squares, using the true pure component (reference) spectra. It is demonstrated that using appropriate multivariate methods, Raman chemical imaging can be a useful tool in the non-invasive characterization of unknown (e.g. illegal or counterfeit) pharmaceutical products.

Characterization of drug-cyclodextrin formulations using Raman mapping and multivariate curve resolution.

Raman chemical imaging was used in the characterization of drug-excipient interactions between a drug and different types of cyclodextrins. Detailed analysis was carried out regarding the interactions between the active ingredient (API) and the cyclodextrins and the heterogeneity of the samples was studied using multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares algorithm. The amount of recrystallized pure API was also estimated using the same curve resolution method. The Raman mapping results were validated via scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. Raman mapping was found to be suitable to detect traces of pure crystalline API below the detection limit of X-ray powder diffraction.

Comparison of spray drying, electroblowing and electrospinning for preparation of Eudragit E and itraconazole solid dispersions

Three solvent based methods: spray drying (SD), electrospinning (ES) and air-assisted electrospinning (electroblowing; EB) were used to prepare solid dispersions of itraconazole and Eudragit E. Samples with the same API/polymer ratios were prepared in order to make the three technologies comparable. The structure and morphology of solid dispersions were identified by scanning electron microscopy and solid phase analytical methods such as, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman chemical mapping. Moreover, the residual organic solvents of the solid products were determined by static headspace-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy measurements and the wettability of samples was characterized by contact angle measurement. The pharmaceutical performance of the three dispersion type, evaluated by dissolution tests, proved to be very similar. According to XRPD and DSC analyses, made after the production, all the solid dispersions were free of any API crystal clusters but about 10 wt% drug crystallinity was observed after three months of storage in the case of the SD samples in contrast to the samples produced by ES and EB in which the polymer matrix preserved the API in amorphous state.

Detailed stability investigation of amorphous solid dispersions prepared by single-needle and high speed electrospinning.

In this research the long-term stability (one year) of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) prepared by high speed electrospinning was investigated at 25 °C/60% relative humidity (RH) (closed conditions) and 40 °C/75% RH (open conditions). Single needle electrospinning and film casting were applied as reference technologies. Itraconazole (ITR) was used as the model API in 40% concentration and the ASDs consisted of either one of the following polymers as a comparison: polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate 6:4 copolymer (no hydrogen bonds between API and polymer) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (possible hydrogen bonds between oxo or tertiary nitrogen function of API and hydroxyl moiety of polymer). DSC, XRPD and dissolution characteristics of samples at 0, 3 and 12 months were investigated. In addition, Raman maps of certain electrospun ASDs were assessed to investigate crystallinity. A new chemometric method, based on Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares algorithm, was developed to calculate the spectrum of amorphous ITR in the matrices and to determine the crystalline/amorphous ratio of aged samples. As it was expected ITR in single needle electrospun SDs was totally amorphous at the beginning, in addition hydroxypropyl methylcellulose could keep ITR in this form at 40 °C/75% RH up to one year due to the hydrogen bonds and high glass transition temperature of the SD. In polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate matrix ITR remained amorphous at 25 °C/60% RH throughout one year. Materials prepared by scaled-up, high throughput version of electrospinning, which is compatible with pharmaceutical industry, also gained the same quality. Therefore these ASDs are industrially applicable and with an appropriate downstream process it would be possible to bring them to the market.

Predicting final product properties of melt extruded solid dispersions from process parameters using Raman spectrometry.

Raman spectrometry was utilized to estimate degraded drug percentage, residual drug crystallinity and glass-transition temperature in the case of melt-extruded pharmaceutical products. Tight correlation was shown between the results obtained by confocal Raman mapping and transmission Raman spectrometry, a PAT-compatible potential in-line analytical tool. Immediate-release spironolactone-Eudragit E solid dispersions were the model system, owing to the achievable amorphization and the heat-sensitivity of the drug compound. The deep investigation of the relationship between process parameters, residual drug crystallinity and degradation was performed using statistical tools and a factorial experimental design defining 54 different circumstances for the preparation of solid dispersions. From the examined factors, drug content (10, 20 and 30%), temperature (110, 130 and 150°C) and residence time (2.75, 11.00 and 24.75min) were found to have significant and considerable effect. By forming physically stable homogeneous dispersions, the originally very slow dissolution of the lipophilic and poorly water-soluble spironolactone was reasonably improved, making 3minute release possible in acidic medium.

Oral bioavailability enhancement of flubendazole by developing nanofibrous solid dosage forms

Abstract The bioavailability of the anthelminthic flubendazole was remarkably enhanced in comparison with the pure crystalline drug by developing completely amorphous electrospun nanofibres with a matrix consisting of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The thus produced formulations can potentially be active against macrofilariae parasites causing tropical diseases, for example, river blindness and elephantiasis, which affect altogether more than a hundred million people worldwide. The bioavailability enhancement was based on the considerably improved dissolution. The release of a dose of 40 mg could be achieved within 15 min. Accordingly, administration of the nanofibrous system ensured an increased plasma concentration profile in rats in contrast to the practically non-absorbable crystalline flubendazole. Furthermore, easy-to-grind fibers could be developed, which enabled compression of easily administrable immediate release tablets.

Investigation of Deteriorated Dissolution of Amorphous Itraconazole: Description of Incompatibility with Magnesium Stearate and Possible Solutions

Disadvantageous crystallization phenomenon of amorphous itraconazole (ITR) occurring in the course of dissolution process was investigated in this work. A perfectly amorphous form (solid dispersion) of the drug was generated by the electroblowing method (with vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer), and the obtained fibers were formulated into tablets. Incomplete dissolution of the tablets was noticed under the circumstances of the standard dissolution test, after which a precipitated material could be filtered. The filtrate consisted of ITR and stearic acid since no magnesium content was detectable in it. In parallel with dissolution, ITR forms an insoluble associate, stabilized by hydrogen bonding, with stearic acid deriving from magnesium stearate. This is why dissolution curves do not have the plateaus at 100%. Two ways are viable to tackle this issue: change the lubricant (with sodium stearyl fumarate >95% dissolution can be accomplished) or alter the polymer in the solid dispersion to a type being able to form hydrogen bonds with ITR (e.g., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose). This work draws attention to one possible phenomenon that can lead to a deterioration of originally good dissolution of an amorphous solid dispersion.