Leonard Chia

Stabilized Amorphous State of Ibuprofen by Co-Spray Drying With Mesoporous SBA-15 to Enhance Dissolution Properties

A novel formulation process via co-spray drying ibuprofen (IBU) with mesoporous SBA-15 submicron particles exhibited excellence in production of stable amorphous IBU with significantly enhanced dissolution rate. With drug loading of IBU/SBA-15 ratio being 50:50 (w/w) or below, most drug molecules were entrapped inside the straight mesoporous channels via the co-spray drying and the morphology of SBA-15 submicron particles remained unchanged. IBU confined inside the mesoporous structure was in the amorphous state shown by PXRD and DSC measurements. The amorphous state of IBU in the solid dispersion showed remarkable stability when subject to stress test condition of 40 degrees C/75% RH in open pans for 12 months. The uniform pore walls were believed to prevent the re-crystallization of the homogeneously dispersed drug molecules inside the mesoporous channels with confined nanospace. The dissolution rate of IBU from the co-spray-dried solid dispersion was significantly enhanced to achieve a rapid release. Even after the accelerated stability test, the rapid drug release property was well preserved.

Physical state and dissolution of ibuprofen formulated by co-spray drying with mesoporous silica: Effect of pore and particle size

A model poorly aqueous-soluble drug, ibuprofen (IBU), was co-spray dried with mesoporous silica materials having different pore sizes and particle sizes for dissolution enhancement. Drug molecules were entrapped inside the mesoporous channels at a high drug loading of 50:50 (w/w). The pore sizes were found to affect the physical state and particle size of IBU in mesoporous structures, which influenced the dissolution profiles. When IBU was co-spray dried with MCM-41 and SBA-15 with pore size smaller than 10 nm, amorphous state of IBU was obtained due to nano space confinement. In contrast, nanocrystals were obtained when ibuprofen was co-spray dried with large pore SBA-15-LP with pore size above 20 nm. The physical state of ibuprofen played a key role in affecting the dissolution of IBU from the solid dispersion. IBU in the amorphous state exhibited a higher dissolution rate than nanocrystalline IBU, even though the larger pore size could facilitate diffusion from the host matrix. The particle size of mesoporous silica showed a less pronounced effect on the dissolution of IBU. Thus, the amorphous/nanocrystalline state of ibuprofen was the most important influence on drug dissolution followed by the diffusion kinetics, particle size of IBU and path length from host matrix to dissolution medium.

High drug load, stable, manufacturable and bioavailable fenofibrate formulations in mesoporous silica: a comparison of spray drying versus solvent impregnation methods.

Abstract Encapsulation of drugs in mesoporous silica using co-spray drying process has been recently explored as potential industrial method. However, the impact of spray drying on manufacturability, physiochemical stability and bioavailability in relation to conventional drug load processes are yet to be fully investigated. Using a 23 factorial design, this study aims to investigate the effect of drug-loading process (co-spray drying and solvent impregnation), mesoporous silica pore size (SBA-15, 6.5 nm and MCM-41, 2.5 nm) and percentage drug load (30% w/w and 50% w/w) on material properties, crystallinity, physicochemical stability, release profiles and bioavailability of fenofibrate (FEN) loaded into mesoporous silica. From the scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) images, powder X-ray diffraction and Differential scanning calorimetry measurements, it is indicated that the co-spray drying process was able to load up to 50% (w/w) FEN in amorphous form onto the mesoporous silica as compared to the 30% (w/w) for solvent impregnation. The in vitro dissolution rate of the co-spray dried formulations was also significantly (p = 0.044) better than solvent impregnated formulations at the same drug loading. Six-month accelerated stability test at 40 °C/75% RH in open dish indicated excellent physical and chemical stability of formulations prepared by both methods. The amorphous state of FEN and the enhanced dissolution profiles were well preserved, and very low levels of degradation were detected after storage. The dog data for the three selected co-spray-dried formulations revealed multiple fold increment in FEN bioavailability compared to the reference crystalline FEN. These results validate the viability of co-spray-dried mesoporous silica formulations with high amorphous drug load as potential drug delivery systems for poorly water soluble drugs.

Applications of Mesoporous Materials as Excipients for Innovative Drug Delivery and Formulation

Due to uniquely ordered nanoporous structure and high surface area as well as large pore volume, mesoporous materials have exhibited excellent performance in both controlled drug delivery with sustained release profiles and formulation of poorly aqueoussoluble drugs with enhanced bioavailability. Compared with other bulk excipients, mesoporous materials could achieve a higher loading of active ingredients and a tunable drug release profile, as the high surface density of surface hydroxyl groups offered versatility to be functionalized. With drug molecules stored in nano sized channels, the pore openings could be modified using functional polymers or nano-valves performing as stimuli-responsive release devices and the drug release could be triggered by environmental changes or other external effects. In particular, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) have attracted much attention for application in functional target drug delivery to the cancer cell. The smart nano-vehicles for drug delivery have showed obvious improvements in the therapeutic efficacy for tumor suppression as compared with conventional sustained release systems, although further progress is still needed for eventual clinical applications. Alternatively, unmodified mesoporous silica also exhibited feasible application for direct formulation of poorly water-soluble drugs to enhance dissolution rate, solubility and thus increase the bioavailability after administration. In summary, mesoporous materials offer great versatility that can be used both for on-demand oral and local drug delivery, and scientists are making great efforts to design and fabricate innovative drug delivery systems based on mesoporous drug carriers.