Development of novel itraconazole-loaded solid dispersion without crystalline change with improved bioavailability

Prediction of Solid-State Form of SLS 3D Printed Medicines Using NIR and Raman Spectroscopy

Selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing is capable of revolutionising pharmaceutical manufacturing, by producing amorphous solid dispersions in a one-step manufacturing process. Here, 3D-printed formulations loaded with a model BCS class II drug (20% w/w itraconazole) and three grades of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) polymer (-SSL, -SL and -L) were produced using SLS 3D printing. Interestingly, the polymers with higher molecular weights (HPC-L and -SL) were found to undergo a uniform sintering process, attributed to the better powder flow characteristics, compared with the lower molecular weight grade (HPC-SSL). XRPD analyses found that the SLS 3D printing process resulted in amorphous conversion of itraconazole for all three polymers, with HPC-SSL retaining a small amount of crystallinity on the drug product surface. The use of process analytical technologies (PAT), including near infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, was evaluated, to predict the amorphous content, qualitatively and quantitatively, within itraconazole-loaded formulations. Calibration models were developed using partial least squares (PLS) regression, which successfully predicted amorphous content across the range of 0–20% w/w. The models demonstrated excellent linearity (R² = 0.998 and 0.998) and accuracy (RMSEP = 1.04% and 0.63%) for NIR and Raman spectroscopy models, respectively. Overall, this article demonstrates the feasibility of SLS 3D printing to produce solid dispersions containing a BCS II drug, and the potential for NIR and Raman spectroscopy to quantify amorphous content as a non-destructive quality control measure at the point-of-care.

Experimental measurement - correlation of solubility and dissolution thermodynamics study of itraconazole in pure monosolvents at various temperatures

The information about the solubility and thermodynamic properties of solution is important for pharmaceutically important processes, formulation development, and further theoretical studies. In the present study, the solid-liquid equilibrium (solubility) for itraconazole (ITC) was determined experimentally in 14 monosolvents at temperatures between 293.15 K and 318.15 K under pressure of 0.1 MPa. The mole fraction solubilities were found to increase with increasing temperatures and followed inverse trend with the polarity of selected solvents. Besides, KAT-LSER analysis was performed to study the effect of solvent. The results revealed that the solute-solvent interaction (43.94%) was much higher than that of solvent-solvent interaction (16.59%). Thermodynamic based models like van't Hoff equation, modified Apelblat equation, Buchowski-Ksiazaczak equation, and polynomial empirical equation were applied to fit and correlate the experimental solubilities. Overall relative average deviation (RAD) and overall root-mean square deviation (104×RMSD) were observed to be minimum with the empirical polynomial equation and attained the values of 0.0033 and 0.0047, respectively. Furthermore, theoretical ideal solubilities, activity coefficients, and thermodynamic properties of dissolution including molar enthalpy, molar entropy, molar Gibbs free energy, and excess enthalpy were estimated. Ideal solubilities were projected considerably higher than experimental solubilities at each studied temperature. Thermodynamic properties of dissolution indicated that the dissolution was not a spontaneous process; observed to be endothermic (ΔH0soln>0) and enthalpy driven (ΔS0soln>0). Such solid-liquid equilibrium data of ITC will be of immense help in process and formulation development in pharmaceutical sciences.

Solubilization and determination of solution thermodynamic properties of itraconazole in different solvents at different temperatures

The solubility of itraconazole (ITRA) in thirteen pure solvents including water, dimethyl sulphoxide, acetonitrile, methanol, 1,4-butanediol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butanol, octanol, ethyl acetate, toluene, benzene, 1,4-dioxane were estimated at the temperatures ranging from 293.15 K to 318.15 K under atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). The results reflected that the solubility of ITRA was a function of temperature and was increased with a rise in temperature in each solvent. Moreover, the solubility in polar solvents was less and found to be increased in non-polar solvents. Furthermore, the results of solubilization were correlated by the Van't Hoff equation, the modified Apelblat equation, the Buchowski - Ksiazaczak λh equation, and the polynomial empirical equation. The polynomial empirical equation proved to be more accurate and suitable for the correlation of solubilities of ITRA in studied solvents at various temperatures. Besides, theoretical ideal solubilities, activity coefficients, and thermodynamic properties of the solution process including standard molar enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and excess enthalpy were calculated from the experimental solubility data. These thermodynamic parameters indicated that the solubilization process was not spontaneous, endothermic, and enthalpy driven. Such thermodynamic based solubility data of ITRA will be of immense help in solubilization, synthesis, process development, preformualtion, and dosage form development in pharmaceuticals.

Itraconazole solid dispersion prepared by a supercritical fluid technique: preparation, in vitro characterization, and bioavailability in beagle dogs

This research aimed to develop a supercritical fluid (SCF) technique for preparing a particulate form of itraconazole (ITZ) with good dissolution and bioavailability characteristics. The ITZ particulate solid dispersion was formulated with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Pluronic F-127, and L-ascorbic acid. Aggregated particles showed porous structure when examined by scanning electron microscopy. Powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated an interaction between ITZ and excipients and showed that ITZ existed in an amorphous state in the composite solid dispersion particles. The solid dispersion obtained by the SCF process improved the dissolution of ITZ in media of pH 1.0, pH 4.5, and pH 6.8, compared with a commercial product (Sporanox(®)), which could be ascribed to the porous aggregated particle shape and amorphous solid state of ITZ. While the solid dispersion did not show a statistical improvement (P=0.50) in terms of oral bioavailability of ITZ compared with Sporanox(®), the C max (the maximum plasma concentration of ITZ in a pharmacokinetic curve) of ITZ was raised significantly (P=0.03) after oral administration. Thus, the SCF process has been shown to be an efficient, single step process to form ITZ-containing solid dispersion particles with good dissolution and oral bioavailability characteristics.