Sub-50 nm ultra-small organic drug nanosuspension prepared by cavi-precipitation and its brain targeting potential.

The purpose of this study was to show whether it is possible to prepare sub 100 nm or preferably sub-50 nm drug nanosuspension (NS) of suitable quality for intravenous administration. Furthermore, we have studied how the brain targeting potential of such small size organic NS differs from relatively bigger size NS. Two combination technologies (cavi-precipitation, H96) and a standard high-pressure homogenization (HPH) technology were used to prepare drug NS of different sizes. The cavi-precipitation process generated the smallest AmB NS, i.e., 27 nm compared to 79 nm by H96 technology and 252 nm by standard HPH technology. Dialysis of the nanosuspension in the original dispersion media was found to be the most efficient solvent removal method without negatively affecting particle size. The removal of organic solvent was found to drastically improve the stability of the formulations. The protein adsorption pattern shows that the small size NS particles obtained by the cavi-precipitation process have the potential to circulate longer in the bloodstream and have the potential to be taken up by the blood-brain barrier. The cavi-precipitation process generated ultrafine NS particles, which fulfilled the quality requirements for intravenous administration and offer a potential solution for brain targeting.

Can the cavi-precipitation process be exploited to generate smaller size drug nanocrystal?

OBJECTIVE: Cavi-precipitation has the potential to generate drug nanocrystals very efficiently. Achieving smaller than 100 nm particle size for organic drug substances still remained a challenge. The objective of this study was to demonstrate if cavi-precipitation technology can be used to generate smaller than 100 nm drug nanocrystal particle. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that cavi-precipitation process can be used to generate drug nanocrystals of the model compound resveratrol (RVT) consists of crystallites of 30-50 nm size. METHOD: RVT was dissolved in different organic solvents to prepare the solvent phase (S-phase). Several stabilizers were tested for the organic phase. A combination of SDS and PVP was used stabilizer system in the aqueous anti-solvent phase (AS-phase). The S-phase was added to the AS-phase inside the Emulsiflex C5 homogenizer. Nanosuspension was characterized by laser diffractometry (LD), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The solid state of the suspended particles was investigated by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). RESULTS: It was found that DMSO, alone or in combination with acetone in the S-Phase generated the smallest size RVT nanocrystals. The optimum solvent (S) antisolvent (AS) ratio (S:AS) was found to be 3.6:56.4 (v:v). Span 20 was identified as the best stabilizer for the organic phase at a ratio (w:w) of 1:3 (Span 20:RVT). The particles precipitated from different solvents were predominantly crystalline. CONCLUSIONS: The best sample had a mean particle size (LD) of 167 nm [d(0.5)] which was composed of smaller crystallites having 30-50 nm size (SEM).

Dermal smartPearls - Optimized silica particles for commercial products & mechanistic considerations.

The amorphous state of actives can be long-term stabilized by incorporation into mesoporous particles, thus the increase in the saturation solubility by amorphicity can be exploited to improve the bioavailability. In this study 5 different silica particles were investigated regarding loading capacity and long-term stability of the amorphous form. Five different silica were used ranging in pore mean size from 3 to 25 nm, pore volume 0.4 to 1.8 mL/g, and BET surface from 740 to 320 m2/g. As model active avobenzone was used, because it is a challenging molecule by its high crystallisation tendency. To be industrially feasible, a loading capacity of about 50% pore volume was investigated. The particles were loaded by an immersion evaporation method, being able to be used in industrial production. A theory of the active precipitation in the pores was developed based on the Ostwald-Miers range. The 25 nm pore-sized particles showed a crystalline fraction directly after loading, the 3 nm and 17 nm pore-sized particles after 1 month of storage. Long-term stability of 1 year had the silica with 6 nm and 10 nm pore size, thus being ideal for products. By nitrogen sorption studies, primarily filling of the pores from bottom to top was identified as loading mechanism. HPLC analysis showed some active remaining in the pores due to strong interaction with the pore surface, which needs to be considered when developing dermal products. Interestingly, the increase in saturation solubility Cs - determined in carrageenan gels - remained also for silica particles showing a minor partial crystalline avobenzone fraction. Thus, limited crystallinity does not impair the shelf-life and performance of dermal formulations.

Formulation development of lipid nanoparticles: Improved lipid screening and development of tacrolimus loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC).

Lipid nanoparticles are well-known nanocarriers for improved drug delivery. Their formulation development typically involves three formulations steps. In the first part a suitable lipid mixture which enables a high loading capacity and high encapsulation efficacy of the active needs to be identified (lipid screening). In the second step suitable stabilizers that enable the production of small-sized lipid nanoparticles with narrow size distribution and sufficient physical stability need to be identified (stabilizer screening, optimization of production parameters) and in the third step the biopharmaceutical efficacy needs to be evaluated. Based on the results obtained the formulations will require further optimization. The classical formulation development of lipid nanoparticles and especially the classical lipid screening is tedious. Therefore, in this study, a novel approach for the lipid screening that was based on the determination of the Hansen solubility parameters was evaluated and the results obtained were compared to the results from the classical model. Tacrolimus was used as a model drug. Results showed that both lipid screenings led to similar results, indicating that the new approach can be used for future developments. The optimized formulation was composed of a lipid matrix system that contained waxes, triglycerides and monoacylglycerols with various carbon chain lengths (C8, C10, C16, C18) and enabled an encapsulation efficiency of ~99%. The stabilizer screening showed that surfactants with high HLB values, lower molecular weight, and shorter alkyl chain length tended to form smaller particles with narrower size distribution and better physical stability. The most suitable surfactant was found to be a caprylyl/capryl glucoside (Plantacare® 810), a PEG-free stabilizer, that is extremely mild for atopic skin. It led to particle sizes of about 200 nm and a zeta potential well above |30| mV. The optimized formulation contained 0.1% tacrolimus and possessed good physical stability. In conclusion, an optimized method for the selection of lipids that results in a limited number of experiments could be established and tacrolimus loaded lipid nanoparticles with similar drug load as a marketed formulation was successfully developed in this study.

BergaCare SmartLipids: commercial lipophilic active concentrates for improved performance of dermal products.

SmartLipids are the latest generation of dermal lipid nanoparticles with solid particle matrix. Their characteristic properties resulting from the "chaotic" and disordered particle matrix structure are reviewed. These properties are high loading and firm inclusion of active agents, physical stability of the particle matrix lipid modification (primarily α, ß'), and related to these three properties the improved chemical stabilization of labile active agents. Exemplarily data for these effects are shown and underlying mechanisms are discussed. Further, general properties of lipid nanoparticles, which are also exhibited by the SmartLipids, are reviewed. These include the restauration of the protective lipid skin barrier (anti-pollution effect), penetration enhancement by occlusion (invisible patch effect) and the option to control the release of active agents for optimized biological effect and reduction of side effects (e.g., skin irritation through sensitizing active agents), which improves the skin tolerability. Regulatory aspects, such as submicron particle status, excipients, and certifications, are also discussed.

Nanoporous smartPearls for dermal application - Identification of optimal silica types and a scalable production process as prerequisites for marketed products.

smartPearls are a dermal delivery system for poorly soluble active agents, consisting of nanoporous silica particles loaded with a long-term stable, amorphous active agent in its mesopores (2-50 nm). The amorphous state of the active agent is known to increase dermal bioavailability. For use in marketed products, optimal silica types were identified from commercially available, regulatory accepted silica. In addition, a scalable production process was demonstrated. The loading of the particles was performed by applying the immersion-evaporation method. The antioxidant rutin was used as a model active agent and ethanol was applied as the solvent. Various silica particles (Syloid®, Davisil®) differing in particle size (7-50 µm), pore diameter (3-25 nm) and pore volume (0.4-1.75 mL/g) were investigated regarding their ease of processing. The evaporation from the silica-ethanol suspensions was performed in a rotary evaporator. The finest powders were obtained with larger-sized silica. The maximum loading staying amorphous was achieved between 10% and 25% (w/w), depending on the silica type. A loading mechanism was also proposed. The most suitable processing occurred with the large-sized Syloid® XDP 3050 silica with a 50 µm particle size and a pore diameter of 25 nm, resulting in 18% (w/w) maximum loading. Based on a 10% (w/w) loading and the amorphous solubility of the active agent, for a 100 kg dermal formulation, about 500 g of loaded particles were required. This corresponds to production of 5 kg of loaded smartPearls for a formulation batch size of a ton. The production of 5 kg (i.e., about 25 L of solvent removal) can be industrially realized in a commercial 50 L rotary evaporator.

Phenylethyl resorcinol smartLipids for skin brightening - Increased loading & chemical stability.

Phenylethyl resorcinol (PER, 4-(1-phenylethyl)1,3-benzenediol) is a very potent tyrosinase inhibitor with clinically proven effectiveness at already 0.5%. A major challenge of incorporating PER into dermal products is its high sensitivity against light. Previously, by incorporating PER in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), chemical stability and tyrosinase activity could be increased by 29% and 67%, respectively. Despite this, degradation still occurred accompanied with reddish discoloration of the formulation - not acceptable for market products. In this study PER was incorporated into smartLipids, the 3rd generation of lipid carriers. Compared to NLC, the smartLipids formulation had a higher PER loading, was PEG-free and used ECOCERT-certified Lanette N. For PER stabilization, 14 additives from three groups were investigated: UV blockers, antioxidants and chelating agents. The UV blockers Tinosorb S and Oxynex ST liquid, as well as the chelating agents ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and phytic acid completely prevented reddish discoloration under test conditions (3 months in the dark and 7 days at light exposure). Investigating the stabilizing mechanisms, UV absorbers with high absorption in UV-A range were most effective (Tinosorb S, Oxynex liquid). They showed good stabilization in dark and at light exposure. Chelating agents had mainly an effect via pH shift to pH 2, thus are not suitable for dermal products requiring pH around 5. Antioxidants were less effective. The antioxidants propyl gallate and BHT showed best stabilization at storage in dark and slightly less at light exposure, not impairing the physical stability. Some antioxidants even accelerated discoloration (e.g. Tinogard TT). In general, low standard electrode potential (<0.4 mV) seems to be favorable for PER stabilization. In conclusion, Tinosorb S proved to be the best stabilizer; combination with an antioxidant is optional. By combination of smartPearls technology and the Tinosorb S stabilization, PER market products without discoloration are feasible.

The Scalability of Wet Ball Milling for The Production of Nanosuspensions.

BACKGROUND: Miniaturization of nanosuspensions preparation is a necessity in order to enable proper formulation screening before nanosizing can be performed on a large scale. Ideally, the information generated at small scale is predictive for large scale production. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to investigate the scalability when producing nanosuspensions starting from a 10 g scale of nanosuspension using low energy wet ball milling up to production scales of 120 g nanosuspension and 2 kg nanosuspension by using a standard high energy wet ball milling operated in batch mode or recirculation mode, respectively. METHODS: Two different active pharmaceutical ingredients, i.e. curcumin and hesperetin, have been used in this study. The investigated factors include the milling time, milling speed, and the type of mill. RESULTS: Comparable particle sizes of about 151 nm to 190 nm were obtained for both active pharmaceutical ingredients at the same milling time and milling speed when the drugs were processed at 10 g using low energy wet ball milling or 120 g using high energy wet ball milling in batch mode, respectively. However, an adjustment of the milling speed was needed for the 2 kg scale produced using high energy wet ball milling in recirculation mode to obtain particle sizes comparable to the small scale process. CONCLUSION: These results confirm in general, the scalability of wet ball milling as well as the suitability of small scale processing in order to correctly identify the most suitable formulations for large scale production using high energy milling.

smartPearls® for dermal bioavailability enhancement - Long-term stabilization of suspensions by viscoelasticity.

smartPearls® are a novel dermal delivery system based on mesoporous (pores 2-50 nm) particles, developed in 2014. Their pores can be loaded with active which is long-term stabilized in its amorphous state. The increased saturation solubility by the amorphous state leads to an increased dermal bioavailability of poorly soluble actives. To avoid sedimentation of the porous particles (3-50 µm) in dermal formulations, viscoelastic gels were developed using ι-carrageenan, polyacrylate and the viscoelastic Kühne salad dressing as a reference from food industry. Silica particles (company Grace/US, 50 and 150 µm) were loaded into the gels and long-term stability was assessed by a VIS sedimentation test. Furthermore, the gels were characterized by analytical centrifugation (LUMiSizer®) to assess the critical rpm/g values, allowing to order them after their absolute viscoelastic stabilizing ability. Characterization was complemented by rotation rheology, amplitude sweep and a frequency sweep analysis for the determination of elastic and viscous moduli G' and G'' at varying conditions. Based on the throughout characterization, polymers can be selected to sufficiently stabilize dermal formulations even with large sized smartPearls® - the prerequisite for using this delivery system in dermal products.

smartPearls - Novel physically stable amorphous delivery system for poorly soluble dermal actives.

Dermally applied poorly soluble actives whether in cosmetics or pharmaceuticals show insufficient skin penetration. Especially actives being insoluble in both phases of dermal vehicles, i.e. water and oil have no or less real effect. An approach to overcome this obstacle is the use of amorphous actives instead of the crystalline ones. The higher saturation solubility creates an increased concentration gradient between the formulation and skin. Thus, the diffusive flux into the skin is improved. However, the amorphous state of actives is highly labile, and the durability of such formulations would be too short for a marketable product. smartPearls is a novel technology efficiently long-term stabilize the amorphous state. They consist of µm sized particles with mesopores (e.g. silica: SYLOID®, AEROPERL®, Neusilin®), in which the active can be loaded and preserved in amorphous state. Due to the tightness of the pores, not enough space is given for re-crystallization. In this work, the skin penetration of poorly soluble actives loaded in smartPearls is compared to the present "gold standards" in dermal delivery, e.g. amorphous microparticles, amorphous nanoparticles and nanocrystals. The performance was at least similar or even better than the gold standards, explainable by the increased saturation solubility of active due to a) amorphous state and b) nanostructure inside the µm-sized particles. Sedimentation investigations showed, that the physical stabilization of very dense smartPearls in semi-solid vehicles is possible by viscoelastic repulsion. Also, the technical, regulatory and marketing aspects for the use of smartPearls technology in products are discussed, e.g. status of excipients used, and advantages of not being a nanoparticle, but being as efficient as them. Overall, smartPearls proved to be a promising dermal delivery technology for poorly soluble actives with a high market potential.

Lipid-drug-conjugate (LDC) solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for the delivery of nicotine to the oral cavity - Optimization of nicotine loading efficiency.

Nicotine, obtained from tobacco leaves, has been used to promote the cessation of smoking and reduce the risk of COPD and lung cancer. Incorporating the active in lipid nanoparticles is an effective tool to minimize its irritation potential and to use the particles as intermediate to produce final products. However, as a hydrophilic active, it is a challenge to prepare nicotine loaded lipid nanoparticles with high drug loading. In this study, lipid-drug-conjugates (LDC) were formed by nicotine and different fatty acids to enable the production of sufficiently loaded nicotine lipid nanoparticles. The encapsulation efficiency of nicotine in LDC-containing SLN was about 50%, which increased at least fourfold compared to the non-LDC formulations (around 10%) due to the increased lipophilicity of nicotine by strong interactions between positively charged nicotine and negatively charged fatty acids (formation of LDCs). The z-average of all formulations (150-350 nm) proved to be in the required submicron size range with a narrow size distribution. In summary, nicotine loaded LDC lipid nanoparticles with high drug loading were successfully developed with Kolliwax® S and stearic acid as counter-ion forming the LDC and hydrogenated sunflower oil (HSO) as lipid particle matrix.

Production of drug nanosuspensions: effect of drug physical properties on nanosizing efficiency.

OBJECTIVE: Drug nanosuspension is one of the established methods to improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Drug physical properties aspect (morphology, solid state, starting size et al) is a critical parameter determining the production efficiency. Some drug modification approaches such as spray-drying were proved to improve the millability of drug powders. However, the mechanism behind those improved performances is unclear. This study is to systematically investigate the influence of those physical properties. METHODS: Five different APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) with different millabilities, i.e. resveratrol, hesperetin, glibenclamide, rutin, and quercetin, were processed by standard high pressure homogenization (HPH), wet bead milling (WBM), and a combinative method of spray-drying and HPH. RESULTS: Smaller starting sizes of certain APIs could accelerate the particle size reduction velocity during both HPH and WBM processes. Spherical particles were observed for almost all spray-dried powders (except spray-dried hesperetin) after spray-drying. The crystallinity of some spray-dried samples such as rutin and glibenclamide became much lower than their corresponding unmodified powders. Almost all spray-dried drug powders after HPH processes could lead to smaller nanocrystal particle size than unmodified APIs. CONCLUSION: The modified microstructure instead of solid state after spray-drying explained the potential reason for improved nanosizing efficiency. In addition, the contribution of starting size on the production efficiency was also critical according to both HPH and WBM results.

Solidification of hesperidin nanosuspension by spray drying optimized by design of experiment (DoE).

OBJECTIVE: To accelerate the determination of optimal spray drying parameters, a "Design of Experiment" (DoE) software was applied to produce well redispersible hesperidin nanocrystals. SIGNIFICANCE: For final solid dosage forms, aqueous liquid nanosuspensions need to be solidified, whereas spray drying is a large-scale cost-effective industrial process. METHODS: A nanosuspension with 18% (w/w) of hesperidin stabilized by 1% (w/w) of poloxamer 188 was produced by wet bead milling. The sizes of original and redispersed spray-dried nanosuspensions were determined by laser diffractometry (LD) and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and used as effect parameters. In addition, light microscopy was performed to judge the redispersion quality. RESULTS: After a two-step design of MODDE 9, screening model and response surface model (RSM), the inlet temperature of spray dryer and the concentration of protectant (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP K25) were identified as the most important factors affecting the redispersion of nanocrystals. As predicted in the RSM modeling, when 5% (w/w) of PVP K25 was added in an 18% (w/w) of hesperidin nanosuspension, subsequently spray-dried at an inlet temperature of 100 °C, well redispersed solid nanocrystals with an average particle size of 276 nm were obtained. By the use of PVP K25, the saturation solubility of the redispersed nanocrystals in water was improved to 86.81 µg/ml, about 2.5-fold of the original nanosuspension. In addition, the dissolution velocity was accelerated. CONCLUSIONS: This was attributed to the additional effects of steric stabilization on the nanocrystals and solubilization by the PVP polymer from spray drying.

Dermal miconazole nitrate nanocrystals - formulation development, increased antifungal efficacy & skin penetration.

Miconazole nitrate nanosuspension was developed to increase its antifungal activity and dermal penetration. In addition, the nanosuspension was combined with the synergistic additive chlorhexidine digluconate. The production was performed by wet bead milling and both production and formulation parameters were optimized. A stabilizer screening revealed poloxamer 407 and Tween 80 both at 0.15% as the most effective stabilizers for miconazole nanosuspensions at 1.0%. The nanocrystals were incorporated into a hydroxypropyl cellulose gel base. Short-term stability (3months) of the nanocrystal bulk population could be shown at room temperature and fridge. Besides the stable bulk nanocrystals, some longitudinal crystal growth to needle like crystals occurred. The addition of ionic compounds as the chlorhexidine digluconate often destabilizes suspensions. Surprisingly here, the addition minimized the crystal growth. An underlying mechanism is proposed. An inhibition zone assay was performed using Candida albicans (ATCC® 10231™). When comparing the nanocrystals in suspension and in gel to µm-sized miconazole nitrate formulations and two market products, the increase in inhibition zone diameter for the nanosuspension formulations was most pronounced in the chlorhexidine digluconate free formulations. These nanocrystal formulations were closely or similarly effective as the microsuspensions and the market products containing the synergistic chlorhexidine digluconate, showing the potential of the nanosuspension formulation. Nanosuspension performance was even further increased when chlorhexidine digluconate was added. Ex-vivo skin penetration studies on porcine ears revealed distinctly less remaining miconazole nitrate on the skin surface for nanocrystals (e.g., 76-86%) compared to market products (e.g. 94%). Also, penetration was increased e.g. in skin depth of 5-10µm from <1.0/1.7% to e.g. 3.3-6.2% for nanocrystals.

Nanoformulation of Leonotis leonurus to improve its bioavailability as a potential antidiabetic drug.

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) of Leonotis leonurus were successfully produced using high-pressure homogenisation (HPH) on a LAB 40 homogeniser. The particle size was determined for the formulation as well as short-term stability study. The formulation was exposed to Chang liver cells for a glucose uptake study and to INS-1 cells for a chronic insulin release study under normoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic conditions. The particle size of the extract NLC was 220 nm with a PdI of 0.08 after homogenisation at 800 bar. The formulation was stable at the tested temperatures. The extract NLC formulation at 1 µg/ml improved glucose uptake, relative to the control liver cells. Insulin release in INS-1 cells was also elevated under hyperglycaemic conditions when exposed to the NLCs, in comparison with the control untreated cells and the non-formulated extract. The plant extract encapsulated in NLC improved the uptake of glucose and enhanced the insulin sensitivity in vitro, compared to the extract.

Mucoadhesive tetrahydrocannabinol-loaded NLC - Formulation optimization and long-term physicochemical stability.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is used to treat pain in cancer patients. On the market there are mainly oral formulations. Especially to treat the problematic breakthrough pain in cancer, an easy applicable formulation with fast onset is desired. This formulation was developed as an aqueous nasal spray using nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). The NLC were prepared with cetyl palmitate, having good miscibility with the oily THC and yielding particles with 1year physical long-term stability. To make the particles mucoadhesive, small particles with diameters of about 200nm were produced and additionally their surface positively charged using a cationic stabilizer. Optimal NLC suspensions contained 1% particles (lipid:THC ratio 7:1) stabilized with 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), and 2% particles with a mixture of 0.05% CPC, and 0.05% Tween® 80. The particle size remained unchanged during spraying using commercial spray bottle, and PARI BOY. A strong interaction with negatively charged mucin was shown by a sharp decrease of the positive NLC zeta potential and fast charge reversal in the mucin solution test. The solid matrix of the NLC had a stabilizing effect on THC. 91% THC remained after 6months storage at 4°C, and 79% under stress conditions at 40°C. By adding additional chemical stabilizers, and producing under protective conditions, a commercial formulation for patient seems feasible.

Preparation and tableting of long-term stable amorphous rutin using porous silica.

Amorphous state of drugs increases the oral bioavailability, but typically faces physical stability problems. Amorphous rutin was generated and physically stabilized by encapsulating inside mesopores of porous AEROPERL® 300 Pharma and named as rutin CapsMorph® in this study. AEROPERL® 300 Pharma was loaded with rutin dissolved in DMSO containing Tween 80, and subsequently the solvent evaporated (wetness impregnation method). The loading process was monitored by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to confirm the amorphous state in AEROPERL® 300 Pharma. A loading of 20% of the rutin-AEROPERL® 300 Pharma mixture was obtained. The amorphous state proved to be stable over 2years of storage at room temperature. Due to the amorphous state and the nanosize of the rutin in the mesopores, the kinetic saturation solubility increased to about 4mg/ml (water, 0.1MHCl, pH 6.8PBS) compared to the maximum observed thermodynamic equilibrium solubility of rutin raw drug powder of only 74.48±1.42µg/ml in pH 6.8PBS (=increase by factor about 54). The dissolution velocity also increased distinctly, e.g. about 96.1% of rutin dissolution from CapsMorph® powder in water within 5min compared to less than 40% of raw drug powder after 3h. Tablets were produced with rutin CapsMorph®, raw drug powder and their dissolution velocity compared to a marketed product. About 83.0-95.6% were released from the rutin CapsMorph® tablet within 5min, compared to 42.7-52.5% from the marketed tablet after 3h (water, 0.1MHCl, pH 6.8PBS). After dissolution the supersaturation level of rutin CapsMorph® remained over about 2h, then solubility slowly reduced, but remained after 48h still multifold above the thermodynamic rutin solubility. This should be sufficient for many poorly soluble drugs to achieve a sufficient bioavailability. For optimal exploitation of the supersaturation, a multiple step release system could be used, e.g. release of CapsMorph® particles every 2-3h.

Systematical investigation of a combinative particle size reduction technology for production of resveratrol nanosuspensions.

Nanosizing is frequently used as formulation approach to increase the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, standard size reduction processes can be relatively time-consuming. It was found that the modification of the physical properties of a starting material by means of spray-drying can be used to improve the effectiveness of a subsequently performed high pressure homogenization. Such a process belongs to the combinative particle size reduction methods and is also referred to as H 42 process. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that the improved efficiency was a result of reduced crystallinity of the modified drug. The present study was conducted in order to asses this hypothesis in a systematical manner by applying design of experiment (DoE) principles. Resveratrol was selected as model compound for this study. It was processed by both standard high pressure homogenization and by a combinative particle size reduction process (the H42 process). An optimized resveratrol/surfactant ratio for the spray-dried intermediate was identified by using the response-surface methodology. The optimization led to a nanosuspension with a mean particle size of 192 nm, which is much smaller than the mean particle size of 569 nm when standard high pressure homogenization was used. Both predominately crystalline and predominately amorphous solids resulted from the spray-drying process. In contrast to the initial hypothesis, the smallest particle sizes were achieved by processing predominately crystalline intermediate with high pressure homogenization.

Oral hesperidin-Amorphization and improved dissolution properties by controlled loading onto porous silica.

The oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs can be improved by amorphization generated by loading into the pores of mesoporous particles (pore size 2-50nm). The main mechanisms are increased kinetic saturation solubility and dissolution velocity due to the amorphous drug state and the nano-size of the drug (=increased dissolution pressure). In this study, the maximum achievable drug loading compared to the theoretical drug loading, and the effect of drug loading degree on the dissolution properties (solubility, dissolution velocity) were investigated. Hesperidin was used as the model active (having also practical relevance for e.g. nutraceutical products), loading was performed onto AEROPERL® 300 Pharma. Degree of successful drug loading could be easily followed by simple light microscopy (=useful tool for formulation optimization), and was in agreement with scanning electron microscopy. Amorphous versus crystalline state was followed by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Loadings prepared were 28.6wt.%, 54.5wt.% and 60.0wt.%, the maximum theoretical loading was 72.5wt.%. Obviously the maximum drug loading is not achievable, the 54.5wt.% drug loading was the practical maximum with already some minor crystalline hesperidin on the surface. Interestingly, the maximum kinetic saturation solubility was obtained for the 54.5wt.% drug loading (941.74µg/ml in pH 6.8 PBS), versus 408.80µg/ml for the 60.0wt.% drug loading (=overloaded system). The raw drug powder had a thermodynamic solubility of only 18.40µg/ml. The fastest in vitro release was obtained with the 28.6wt.% loaded system, followed by the 54.5wt.% and 60.0wt.% loadings. The dissolution properties (solubility, dissolution velocity) can obviously be influenced by a "controlled loading". This is a simple, cost-effective technological alternative to modulating this property by chemical modification of silica, requiring a new costly regulatory approval of these chemically modified materials.

Destabilization Mechanism of Ionic Surfactant on Curcumin Nanocrystal against Electrolytes.

We have successfully developed curcumin nanosuspension intended for oral delivery. The main purpose is to improve bioavailability through enhancing its solubility. The nanoparticles were stabilized using various stabilizers, including polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC), d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The average diameter of particles, microscopic appearance, and sedimentation of each preparation was observed and compared. Each stabilizer demonstrated a different degree of inhibition of particle aggregation under electrolyte-containing simulated gastrointestinal (GIT) fluid. Non-ionic stabilizers (PVA, PVP, and TPGS) were shown to preserve the nanosuspension stability against electrolytes. In contrast, strong ionic surfactants such as SDS were found to be very sensitive to electrolytes. The results can provide useful information for the formulators to choose the most suitable stabilizers by considering the nature of stabilizers and physiological characteristics of the target site of the drug.