Meloxicam Carrier Systems Having Enhanced Release and Aqueous Wettability Prepared Using Micro-suspensions in...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science

Background:

• Poor drug solubility is a major challenge in pharmaceutical development.
• Particle size reduction is a conventional method to enhance drug dissolution.
• Drug agglomeration during formulation can limit the effectiveness of particle size reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the dissolution of hydrophobic meloxicam (MLX) without surfactants.
• To develop a rapidly dissolving carrier system using liquid media for comminution.
• To investigate the effect of liquid media wetting capacity on drug release.

Main Methods:

• Micro-suspensions of meloxicam were prepared by ball milling using water or n-Heptane.
• These micro-suspensions served as granulation liquids for microcrystalline cellulose and lactose mixtures.
• Drug release kinetics were evaluated using the USP-4 dissolution apparatus.

Main Results:

• Wet milling in non-water media (n-Heptane) significantly improved meloxicam release rates compared to water milling.
• Formulations without surfactants showed release rates comparable to surfactant-stabilized nanosuspensions.
• Source meloxicam exhibited poor dissolution compared to all milled formulations.

Conclusions:

• Non-water liquid media facilitate effective particle comminution and formulation of hydrophobic drugs.
• Surfactant-free formulations can achieve high drug release rates, presenting a viable alternative.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs.