Investigation of hot melt extrusion process parameters on solubility and tabletability of atorvastatin calcium in presence of Neusilin® US2

Exploring mesoporous silica microparticles in pharmaceutical sciences: Drug delivery and therapeutic insights

Nanotechnology has revolutionised pharmaceutical sciences, with mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) extensively studied as drug carriers. However, their clinical translation is hindered by challenges such as toxicity, tumour accumulation, and uncontrolled endocytosis. Mesoporous silica microparticles (MSMs) have emerged as a safer alternative, offering enhanced drug loading, controlled release, and improved formulation properties. MSMs facilitate protein delivery, solubility enhancement, and bioavailability improvement through pore size modulation, amorphous drug loading, and surface functionalisation. Additionally, they aid in overcoming multi-drug resistance and enable organ-specific targeting using aptamers or magnetic nanoparticles. Beyond drug delivery, MSMs enhance pharmaceutical formulations, with commercial products such as SYLOID®, Aeroperl®, and Neusilin® improving tablet performance and drug stability. Their role in controlled release systems further underscores their pharmaceutical potential. As research advances, MSMs offer promising strategies for precision medicine and optimised drug delivery, reinforcing their potential for future clinical applications.

Twin Screw Melt Granulation of Simvastatin: Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate Enhancement Using Polymer Blends

Background/Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy of twin screw melt granulation (TSMG), and hot-melt extrusion (HME) techniques in enhancing the solubility and dissolution of simvastatin (SIM), a poorly water-soluble drug with low bioavailability. Additionally, the study explores the impact of binary polymer blends on the drug's miscibility, solubility, and in vitro release profile. Methods: SIM was processed with various polymeric combinations at a 30% w/w drug load, and a 1:1 ratio of binary polymer blends, including Soluplus® (SOP), Kollidon® K12 (K12), Kollidon® VA64 (KVA), and Kollicoat® IR (KIR). The solid dispersions were characterized using modulated differential scanning calorimetry (M-DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Dissolution studies compared the developed formulations against a marketed product. Results: The SIM-SOP/KIR blend showed the highest solubility (34 µg/mL), achieving an approximately 5.5-fold enhancement over the pure drug. Dissolution studies showed that SIM-SOP/KIR formulations had significantly higher release profiles than the physical mixture (PM) and pure drug (p < 0.01). Additionally, their release was similar to a marketed formulation, with 100% drug release within 30 min. In contrast, the SIM-K12/KIR formulation exhibited strong miscibility, but limited solubility and slower release rates, suggesting that high miscibility does not necessarily correlate with improved solubility. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of TSMG, and HME as effective continuous manufacturing technologies for improving the therapeutic efficacy of poorly water-soluble drugs. It also emphasizes the complexity of polymer-drug interactions and the necessity of carefully selecting compatible polymers to optimize the quality and performance of pharmaceutical formulations.

Colon-targeted delivery of niclosamide from solid dispersion employing a pH-dependent polymer via hotmelt extrusion for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in mice

Niclosamide (NCL) is repurposed to treat inflammatory bowel disease due to its anti-inflammatory properties and potential to reduce oxidative stress. This therapeutic activity remains challenging if administered directly due to its low solubility and high recrystallization tendency in gastric pH. Solid dispersions using pH-dependent polymer will be a better idea to improve the solubility, dissolution and targeted delivery at the colon. Hot melt extrusion was used to formulate a solid dispersion with 30% NCL utilising hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate as a pH-dependent polymer. In vitro drug release studies revealed formulation (F1) containing 10%w/w Tween 80 showed minimal release (2.06%) at the end of 2 h, followed by 47.87% and 82.15% drug release at 6 h and 14 h, respectively, indicating the maximum amount of drug release in the colon. The drug release from the formulations containing no plasticiser and 5%w/w plasticiser was comparable to the pure crystalline drug (approximately 25%). Solid-state analysis confirmed particle conversion of crystalline NCL to amorphous form, and the optimised formulation was stable for 6 months without significant changes in dissolution profile. In contrast to pure NCL, the F1 formulation substantially reduced the disease activity index, colonic inflammation, histological alterations and oxidative damage in colitis mice. These findings reveal that the prepared formulation can potentially deliver the drug locally at the colon, making it an effective tool in treating ulcerative colitis.

Enabling direct compression tablet formulation of celecoxib by simultaneously eliminating punch sticking, improving manufacturability, and enhancing dissolution through co-processing with a mesoporous carrier

The development of a high quality tablet of Celecoxib (CEL) is challenged by poor dissolution, poor flowability, and high punch sticking propensity of CEL. In this work, we demonstrate a particle engineering approach, by loading a solution of CEL in an organic solvent into a mesoporous carrier to form a coprocessed composite, to enable the development of tablet formulations up to 40% (w/w) of CEL loading with excellent flowability and tabletability, negligible punch sticking propensity, and a 3-fold increase in in vitro dissolution compared to a standard formulation of crystalline CEL. CEL is amorphous in the drug-carrier composite and remained physically stable after 6 months under accelerated stability conditions when the CEL loading in the composite was ≤ 20% (w/w). However, crystallization of CEL to different extents from the composites was observed under the same stability condition when CEL loading was 30-50% (w/w). The success with CEL encourages broader exploration of this particle engineering approach in enabling direct compression tablet formulations for other challenging active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Influence of Poloxamer on the Dissolution and Stability of Hot-Melt Extrusion-Based Amorphous Solid Dispersions Using Design of Experiments

The current study aimed to see the effects of poloxamer P407 on the dissolution performance of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (AquaSolve™ HPMC-AS HG)-based amorphous solid dispersions (ASD). A weakly acidic, poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), mefenamic acid (MA), was selected as a model drug. Thermal investigations, including thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), were conducted for raw materials and physical mixtures as a part of the pre-formulation studies and later to characterize the extruded filaments. The API was blended with the polymers using a twin shell V-blender for 10 min and then extruded using an 11-mm twin-screw co-rotating extruder. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the morphology of the extruded filaments. Furthermore, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was performed to check the intermolecular interactions of the components. Finally, to assess the in vitro drug release of the ASDs, dissolution testing was conducted in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.4) and hydrochloric acid-potassium chloride (HCl-KCl) buffer (0.1 M, pH 1.2). The DSC studies confirmed the formation of the ASDs, and the drug content of the extruded filaments was observed to be within an acceptable range. Furthermore, the study concluded that the formulations containing poloxamer P407 exhibited a significant increase in dissolution performance compared to the filaments with only HPMC-AS HG (at pH 7.4). In addition, the optimized formulation, F3, was stable for over 3 months when exposed to accelerated stability studies.