Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Self-Nanoemulsification of Healthy Oils to Enhance the Solubility of Lipophilic Drugs
Published on: July 27, 2022
Surface Enrichment and Depletion of Components in a Ternary Drug-Surfactant-Polymer Amorphous Solid Dispersion
Kennedy A Borchardt-Setter1, Junguang Yu1, Torsten Stelzer2,3
1School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 777 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53707, United States.
Abstract:
Amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) can be used to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. An ASD is often a ternary system containing a drug, a surfactant, and a polymer. Recent work on binary ASDs has observed significant differences between surface and bulk compositions, with impacts on wettability and stability. Here we investigate a ternary ASD composed of the antifungal posaconazole, the surfactant Span 80, and a dispersion polymer (PVP or PVP/VA). The surfactant loading was fixed at the typical level of 5 wt %, and the drug/polymer ratio was varied. We observed strong surface enrichment of the surfactant and simultaneous depletion of the drug. This effect is already pronounced in the binary drug-surfactant system and is enhanced by the addition of the polymers. Between the two polymers, the more hydrophilic PVP causes a stronger enhancement of the surface enrichment effect. These results demonstrate the impact of component interactions on the surface composition of ASDs and the performance.
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...
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Pharmaceutical Parameters
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Drug Permeability, Stability and Stereochemistry
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Drug Dissolution
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model

