Fabrication of cyclodextrin-templated mesoporous silica for improved dissolution of carbamazepine

Amino functionalized chiral mesoporous silica nanoparticles for improved loading and release of poorly water-soluble drug

In the present paper, chiral mesoporous silica nano-cocoon (A-CMSN) functionalized with amino group was synthesized, and its loading and release of indomethacin (IMC), a poorly soluble drug, was studied. Due to the use of chiral anionic surfactants as a template, A-CMSN possessed 2D hexagonal nano-cocoon morphology with curled channels on its surface, which was quite different from another 2D hexagonal mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-41) with straightway channels. After being loaded into the two silica carriers by hydrogen bond, crystalline IMC converted to amorphous form, leading to the improved drug dissolution. And IMC loading capacity of A-CMSN was higher than MCM-41 because curled loading process originating from curvature chiral channels can hold more drug molecules. Compared with IMC, IMC loaded A-CMSN presented obviously fast release throughout the in vitro release experiment, while IMC loaded MCM-41 released faster than IMC at the initial 5 h then showed controlled slow release afterwards, which was closely related to the mesoporous silica nanoparticles and different channel mesostructures of these two carriers. A-CMSN possessed nano-cocoon morphology with curled 2D hexagonal channel and its channel length was shorter than MCM-41, therefore IMC molecules can easily get rid of the constraint of A-CMSN then to be surrounded by dissolution medium.

Enhanced dissolution and stability of artemisinin by nano-confinement in ordered mesoporous SBA-15 particles

Dissolution of poorly water-soluble drug, Artemisinin (ART), was enhanced by encapsulating the drug particles inside pore channels of ordered mesoporous silica, SBA-15, via co-spray drying. The drug release profiles of ART were investigated by using flow-through cell (USP IV) and in vitro dissolution tester (USP II). The co-spray-dried ART/SBA-15 samples demonstrated significantly improved dissolution rates and supersaturation compared to the untreated ART. The low cytotoxicity effect of ART and SBA-15 on Caco-2 cells after 24 h incubation demonstrated the biocompatibility of ART/SBA-15. Finally, the storage stability of the samples was investigated for 6 months under five different storage conditions. Overall, the solid dispersions exhibited excellent physical stability; however, their chemical stability was affected by humidity regardless of storage temperatures. The formulation of solid dispersions of ART/SBA-15 is potentially safe and an effective approach to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble ART.