Two-component cross-linkable gels for fabrication of solid oral dosage forms

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Pharmaceutical Engineering
• 3D Printing Technology

Background:

• Conventional 3D printing methods utilize UV irradiation, solvent evaporation, or thermal cycling, limiting the encapsulation of sensitive biomolecules.
• Proteins and other bioactive compounds are often degraded by these harsh solidification processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel 3D printing technique for fabricating pills using complementary liquid copolymers.
• To assess the feasibility of encapsulating and releasing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and proteins from 3D printed pills.
• To evaluate the potential of this technology for personalized medicine and home pharmaceutical production.

Main Methods:

• A new 3D printing approach was developed utilizing two complementary liquid copolymers: PEG4-PCL-SC and PEG4-PCL-NH2.
• These copolymers were injected in a coordinated manner, reacting in situ to form a pre-designed 3D pill structure.
• The printed pills were characterized for swelling, disintegration, and drug release profiles, with prednisone and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model compounds.

Main Results:

• The 3D printed pills exhibited significant swelling (approximately 400% over 3 hours) followed by moderate disintegration.
• Prednisone release was largely dependent on the ratio of the complementary pre-polymers used.
• Only 40% of the incorporated bovine serum albumin (BSA) was released, indicating challenges with protein encapsulation and release.

Conclusions:

• This novel 3D printing technique offers a promising alternative for producing pills, particularly for sensitive medications incompatible with current methods.
• The system has potential applications in personalized medicine and at-home pharmaceutical fabrication.
• Further research is required to improve printing resolution, addressing slow gelation kinetics and pre-polymer viscosity, before pharmaceutical application.