3D-printing of solid lipid tablets from emulsion gels

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Materials Science

Background:

• Personalized medicines require advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing techniques.
• Traditional 3D printing methods often use high temperatures, limiting applications for thermolabile compounds.
• Poorly water-soluble drugs present formulation challenges for oral bioavailability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate semi-solid extrusion (SSE) printing of emulsion gels for fabricating solid lipid tablets.
• To incorporate the poorly water-soluble drug fenofibrate into these 3D-printed tablets.
• To assess the feasibility of SSE for personalized, on-demand drug manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing with three types of emulsified lipid-based formulations (LBFs).
• Formulated emulsion gels incorporating fenofibrate.
• Characterized the 3D-printed solid lipid tablets for mass, disintegration, and reconstituted oil droplet size.

Main Results:

• Successfully 3D-printed solid lipid tablets from emulsion gels at room temperature using SSE.
• Achieved well-defined tablets with rapid disintegration (<15 minutes).
• Reconstituted oil droplet size after dispersion and lipid digestion was comparable to traditional liquid LBFs.

Conclusions:

• SSE is a viable method for fabricating solid lipid tablets from emulsion gels at ambient temperatures.
• This room-temperature 3D printing approach is suitable for thermolabile compounds and poorly water-soluble drugs.
• The technology holds promise for on-demand production of personalized dosage forms, particularly for pediatric patients requiring flexible dosing.