Drug Release from Carrier Systems Comprising Meloxicam Crystals Formed by Impregnation-Evaporation

Abstract

The impregnation of poorly water-soluble drug onto the surface of a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, used as a hydrophilic carrier, can lead to the preparation of systems with improved dissolution properties due to the separation of drug crystal particles on the carrier surface. For this purpose, a method based on impregnation of hydrophilic matrix by the hydrophobic poorly water-soluble drug Meloxicam (MX) solution in volatile organic solvent was used. After the evaporation of the solvent, the method resulted in coverage of the carrier surface by drug crystals. The influence of the amount and concentration of the impregnating solution on the formed MX crystal size and the dissolution rate was evaluated. Firstly, the impregnation forming crystals on the planar surface was studied and the MX maximum dissolution flux from that surface was determined. The optimum preparation method was further used to produce a volume of impregnated granules. The dissolution performance of the granules was evaluated, and the dissolution kinetics was described by mathematical models. The polymorphic modification of impregnated API and influence of impregnated drug amount on the hydrophilic carrier surface coverage were considered. From the results of this work, it is clear that the impregnated drug amount and the number of impregnations cycles can be optimized to achieve maximum drug release rate.