Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Modulating Shape of Polyester Based Polymersomes using Osmotic Pressure
Published on: April 21, 2021
Characterization of Supersaturated Danazol Solutions - Impact of Polymers on Solution Properties and Phase
Matthew J Jackson1, Umesh S Kestur2, Munir A Hussain2
1Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Dr, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA.
Purpose:
Excipients are essential for solubility enhancing formulations. Hence it is important to understand how additives impact key solution properties, particularly when supersaturated solutions are generated by dissolution of the solubility enhancing formulation. Herein, the impact of different concentrations of dissolved polymers on the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of supersaturated solutions of danazol were investigated.
Methods:
A variety of experimental techniques was used, including nanoparticle tracking analysis, fluorescence and ultraviolet spectroscopy and flux measurements to characterize the solution phase behavior.
Results:
Neither the crystalline nor amorphous solubility of danazol was impacted by common amorphous solid dispersion polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) or HPMC-acetate succinate. Consequently, the maximum membrane transport rate was limited only by the amorphous solubility, and not by the presence of the polymers. The polymers were able to inhibit crystallization to some extent at concentrations as low as 1 μg/mL, with the maximum effectiveness being reached at 10 μg/mL. Aqueous danazol solutions formed a drug-rich phase with a mean size of 250 nm when the concentration exceeded the amorphous solubility, and the polymers modified the surface properties of this drug-rich phase.
Conclusions:
The phase behavior of supersaturated solutions is complex and the kinetics of phase transformations can be substantially modified by polymeric additives present at low concentrations. However, fortunately, these additives do not appear to impact the bulk thermodynamic properties of the solution, thus enabling supersaturated solutions, which provide enhanced membrane transport relative to saturated solutions to be generated.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Polymorphic Form-Related and Particle Size-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Pharmaceutical Parameters
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

