Production of griseofulvin nanoparticles using supercritical CO(2) antisolvent with enhanced mass transfer

Griseofulvin (GF) is a poor water soluble, antifungal agent. The bioavailability of the drug and its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract can be greatly improved by particle size reduction. In this work, supercritical antisolvent precipitation with enhanced mass transfer (SAS-EM) has been proposed for the production of GF nanoparticles. SAS-EM is a modification of the currently existing supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation technique and also utilizes supercritical CO(2) as the antisolvent. In SAS-EM however, the solution jet is deflected by a surface vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency that atomizes the jet into small micro droplets. Further, the ultrasound field generated by the vibrating surface inside the supercritical media enhances mass transfer and prevents agglomeration due to increased mixing. GF nanoparticles of different sizes and morphologies have been obtained by varying the vibration intensity of the deflecting surface, which in turn is adjusted by changing the power supply to the attached ultrasound transducer. GF nanoparticles as low as 130 nm in size have been obtained corresponding to a power supply of 180 W. The effect of using different solvents on the size and morphology of the particles has also been studied.