Enhancement of dissolution rate of piroxicam using liquisolid compacts

Piroxicam is a poorly soluble, highly permeable drug and the rate of its oral absorption is often controlled by the dissolution rate in the gastrointestinal. The poor dissolution rate of water-insoluble drugs is still a major problem confronting the pharmaceutical industry. There are several techniques to enhance the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs. Among them, the technique of liquisolid compacts is a promising technique towards such a novel aim. In this study, the dissolution behaviour of piroxicam from liquisolid compacts was investigated in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 7.2). To this end, several liquisolid tablets formulations containing various ratios of drug:Tween 80 (ranging from 10% to 50% w/w) were prepared. The ratio of microcrystalline cellulose (carrier) to silica (coating powder material) was kept constant in all formulations. The results showed that liquisolid compacts demonstrated significantly higher drug release rates than those of conventionally made (capsules and directly compressed tablets containing micronized piroxicam). This was due to an increase in wetting properties and surface of drug available for dissolution.