Sustained release of curcumin self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) from solvent-cast Soluplus^® films

The objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of formulating and loading Curcumin SEDDS (Self-Emulsified Drug Delivery Systems) into films made from Soluplus^® as the film-forming polymer. Films with up to 30% of Curcumin SEDDS were prepared by the solvent casting technique and analyzed for their mechanical and dissolution properties. A nine-run, two-factor, three-level factorial design was utilized to investigate the effect of SEDDS load (10, 20, and 30% w/w) and film thickness (10, 25, and 40 mils) on the tensile strength, elongation, and adhesiveness of the films. The dissolution profile of the films was also investigated by a USP Type 1 method. SEDDS loading was found to plasticize Soluplus^® and to yield transparent films of good mechanical properties. Increasing SEDDS load, however, was found to reduce the tensile strength of the films, while increasing their adhesiveness and elongation. On the other hand, while an increase in film thickness was found to increase the tensile strength of the films, it reduced the elongation capacity of the films. Loading SEDDS into Soluplus^® films was also found to sustain their release over 6 h, where a significant delay in release was found at lower SEDDS loads. This study demonstrated that Soluplus^® can be used not only to formulate SEDDS into polymeric films but also to sustain their release over an extended time.