Preparation of celecoxib tablet by hot melt extrusion technology and application of process analysis technology to discriminate solubilization effect

Modification of microenvironmental pH of nanoparticles for enhanced solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble celecoxib

This study aimed to develop a novel pH-modified nanoparticle with improved solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble celecoxib by modifying the microenvironmental pH. After assessing the impact of hydrophilic polymers, surfactants and alkaline pH modifiers on the drug solubility, copovidone, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and meglumine were chosen. The optimal formulation of solvent-evaporated, surface-attached and pH-modified nanoparticles composed of celecoxib/copovidone/SLS/meglumine at weight ratios of 1:1:0.2:0, 1:0.375:1.125:0 and 1:1:1:0.2:0.02, respectively, were manufactured using spray drying technique. Their physicochemical characteristics, solubility, dissolution and pharmacokinetics in rats were evaluated compared to the celecoxib powder. The solvent-evaporated and pH-modified nanoparticles converted a crystalline to an amorphous drug, resulting in a spherical shape with a reduced particle size compared to celecoxib powder. However, the surface-attached nanoparticles with insignificant particle size exhibited the unchangeable crystalline drug. All of them gave significantly higher solubility, dissolution, and oral bioavailability than celecoxib powder. Among them, the pH-modified nanoparticles demonstrated the most significant improvement in solubility (approximately 1600-fold) and oral bioavailability (approximately 4-fold) compared to the drug powder owing to the alkaline microenvironment formation effect of meglumine and the conversion to the amorphous drug. Thus, the pH-modified nanoparticle system would be a promising strategy for improving the solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble and weakly acidic celecoxib.

Prodigiosin/celecoxib-loaded into zein/sodium caseinate nanoparticles as a potential therapy for triple negative breast cancer

Nowadays, breast cancer is considered one of the most upsetting malignancies among females. Encapsulation of celecoxib (CXB) and prodigiosin (PDG) into zein/sodium caseinate nanoparticles (NPs) produce homogenous and spherical nanoparticles with good encapsulation efficiencies (EE %) and bioavailability. In vitro cytotoxicity study conducted on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines revealed that there was a significant decline in the IC50 for encapsulated drugs when compared to each drug alone or their free combination. In addition, results demonstrated that there is a synergism between CXB and PDG as their combination indices were 0.62251 and 0.15493, respectively. Moreover, results of scratch wound healing assay revealed enhanced antimigratory effect of free drugs and fabricated NPs in comparison to untreated cells. Furthermore, In vitro results manifested that formulated nanoparticles exhibited induction of apoptosis associated with reduced angiogenesis, proliferation, and inflammation. In conclusion, nanoencapsulation of multiple drugs into nanoparticles might be a promising approach to develop new therapies for the managing of triple negative breast cancer.

Investigation of Patient-Centric 3D-Printed Orodispersible Films Containing Amorphous Aripiprazole

The objective of this study was to design and evaluate an orodispersible film (ODF) composed of aripiprazole (ARP), prepared using a conventional solvent casting technique, and to fuse a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique with a hot-melt extrusion (HME) filament. Klucel® LF (hydroxypropyl cellulose, HPC) and PE-05JPS® (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) were used as backbone polymers for 3D printing and solvent casting. HPC-, PVA-, and ARP-loaded filaments were applied for 3D printing using HME. The physicochemical and mechanical properties of the 3D printing filaments and films were optimized based on the composition of the polymers and the processing parameters. The crystalline states of drug and drug-loaded formulations were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The dissolution and disintegration of the 3D-printed films were faster than those of solvent-cast films. HPC-3D printed film was fully disintegrated within 45 ± 3.5 s. The dissolution rate of HPC films reached 80% within 30 min at pH 1.2 and pH 4.0 USP buffer. There was a difference in the dissolution rate of about 5 to 10% compared to PVA films at the same sampling time. The root mean square of the roughness (Rq) values of each sample were evaluated using atomic force microscopy. The higher the Rq value, the rougher the surface, and the larger the surface area, the more salivary fluid penetrated the film, resulting in faster drug release and disintegration. Specifically, The HPC 3D-printed film showed the highest Rq value (102.868 nm) and average surface roughness (85.007 nm). The puncture strength of 3D-printed films had desirable strength with HPC (0.65 ± 0.27 N/mm2) and PVA (0.93 ± 0.15 N/mm2) to prevent deformation compared to those of marketed film products (over 0.34 N/mm2). In conclusion, combining polymer selection and 3D printing technology could innovatively design ODFs composed of ARP to solve the unmet medical needs of psychiatric patients.

Amorphous Salts Solid Dispersions of Celecoxib: Enhanced Biopharmaceutical Performance and Physical Stability

Numerous amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) formulations of celecoxib (CEL) have been attempted for enhancing the solubility, dissolution rate, and in vivo pharmacokinetics via high drug loading, polymer combination, or by surfactant addition. However, physical stability for long-term shelf life and desired in vivo pharmacokinetics remains elusive. Therefore, newer formulation strategies are always warranted to address poor aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability with extended shelf life. The present investigation elaborates a combined strategy of amorphization and salt formation for CEL, providing the benefits of enhanced solubility, dissolution rate, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and physical stability. We generated amorphous salts solid dispersion (ASSD) formulations of CEL via an in situ acid-base reaction involving counterions (Na⁺ and K⁺) and a polymer (Soluplus) using the spray-drying technique. The generated CEL-Na and CEL-K salts were homogeneously and molecularly dispersed in the matrix of Soluplus polymer. The characterization of generated ASSDs by differential scanning calorimetry revealed a much higher glass-transition temperature (T_g) than the pure amorphous CEL, confirming the salt formation of CEL in solid dispersions. The micro-Raman and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy further confirmed the formation of salt at the -S═O position in the CEL molecules. CEL-Na-Soluplus ASSD exhibited a synergistic enhancement in the aqueous solubility (332.82-fold) and in vivo pharmacokinetics (9.83-fold enhancement in the blood plasma concentration) than the crystalline CEL. Furthermore, ASSD formulations were physically stable for nearly 1 year (352 days) in long-term stability studies at ambient conditions. Hence, we concluded that the ASSD is a promising strategy for CEL in improving the physicochemical properties and biopharmaceutical performance.

Preparation of Hot-Melt Extruded Dosage Form for Enhancing Drugs Absorption Based on Computational Simulation

The aim of this study was to control the dissolution rate and permeability of cilostazol. To enhance the dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology was applied to prepare a solid dispersion (SD). To control permeability in the gastrointestinal tract regardless of food intake, the HME process was optimized based on physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) simulation. The extrudates were produced using a laboratory-scale twin-screw hot-melt extruder with co-rotatory screws and a constant feeding rate. Next, for PBPK simulation, parameter-sensitive analysis (PSA) was conducted to determine the optimization approach direction. As demonstrated by the dissolution test, the solubility of extrudate was enhanced comparing cilostazol alone. Based on the PSA analysis, the surfactant induction was a crucial factor in cilostazol absorption; thus, an extrudate with an even distribution of lipids was produced using hot-melt extrusion technology, for inducing the bile salts in the gastrointestinal tract. In vivo experiments with rats demonstrated that the optimized hot-melt extruded formulation was absorbed more rapidly with lower deviation and regardless of the meal consumed when compared to marketed cilostazol formulations.

Cocrystallization: Cutting Edge Tool for Physicochemical Modulation of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Cocrystallization is a widely accepted and clinically relevant technique that has prospered very well over the past decades to potentially modify the physicochemical properties of existing active pharmaceutic ingredients (APIs) without compromising their therapeutic benefits. Over time, it has become an integral part of the pre-formulation stage of drug development because of its ability to yield cocrystals with improved properties in a way that other traditional methods cannot easily achieve. Cocrystals are solid crystalline materials composed of two or more than two molecules which are non-covalently bonded in the same crystal lattice. Due to the continuous efforts of pharmaceutical scientists and crystal engineers, today cocrystals have emerged as a cutting edge tool to modulate poor physicochemical properties of APIs such as solubility, permeability, bioavailability, improving poor mechanical properties and taste masking. The success of cocrystals can be traced back by looking at the number of products that are getting regulatory approval. At present, many cocrystals have obtained regulatory approval and they successfully made into the market place followed by a fair number of cocrystals that are currently in the clinical phases. Considering all these facts about cocrystals, the formulation scientists have been inspired to undertake more relevant research to extract out maximum benefits. Here in this review cocrystallization technique will be discussed in detail with respect to its background, different synthesis approaches, synthesis mechanism, application and improvements in drug delivery systems and its regulatory perspective.