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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

A Package of Established Analytical Tools to Investigate the Solid-State Alteration of Lipid-Based Excipients
Published on: August 9, 2022
Formulation and evaluation of a protein-loaded solid dispersions by non-destructive methods
Ziyaur Rahman1, Ahmed S Zidan, Mansoor A Khan
1Division of Product Quality and Research, Center of Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
This study developed solid dispersion formulations of cyclosporine (CyA) using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) to improve drug dissolution. Non-destructive methods like Near Infrared Chemical Imaging (NIR-CI) accurately predicted drug and carrier content in the novel formulations.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cyclosporine (CyA) exhibits poor aqueous solubility, limiting its therapeutic efficacy.
- Solid dispersion (SD) technology offers a promising approach to enhance the dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs.
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) is a widely used carrier in SD formulations due to its biocompatibility and ability to improve drug solubility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize solid dispersion (SD) formulations of cyclosporine (CyA) using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000).
- To enhance the dissolution rate of CyA through SD formulation.
- To establish a non-destructive method for predicting both CyA and PEG-6000 content in the SD formulations.
Main Methods:
- SD formulations were prepared using the solvent evaporation technique with varying CyA and PEG-6000 ratios.
- Characterization involved dissolution testing, SEM, DSC, FTIR, PXRD, NIR, and NIR-CI.
- Chemometric analysis, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression, was applied to spectral data (NIR and PXRD).
Main Results:
- Dissolution studies showed significantly enhanced CyA release from SD formulations compared to pure CyA.
- DSC indicated a decrease in PEG-6000 crystallinity within the SD formulations.
- FTIR confirmed the absence of chemical interactions between CyA and PEG-6000.
- NIR-CI and multivariate analysis of PXRD data demonstrated the homogeneity of the SD matrix.
- PLS models achieved high accuracy (2.10% to 5.35%) for predicting CyA and PEG-6000 content.
Conclusions:
- Solid dispersion formulation with PEG-6000 effectively enhances cyclosporine dissolution.
- Non-destructive techniques, particularly NIR and PXRD coupled with chemometrics, provide a reliable and accurate method for characterizing SD formulations and quantifying drug and carrier content.
- This approach offers a valuable tool for quality control and development of novel drug delivery systems.
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