Improvement of dissolution profile of eplerenone with solidified self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (S-SEDDS)

Abstract

Context

Eplerenone is a member of antihypertensives used individually or in combination with other medicines. Eplerenone exhibits poor solubility and is considered a class II drug.

Objective

Increasing the solubility of eplerenone by using both liquid and solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems as an alternative to its marketed tablet product.

Methods

Solubility studies of eplerenone were done with different oils, surfactants, and co-surfactants to determine which one has the highest solubility for eplerenone and determine the preference in the formulations of liquid self-emulsifying drug delivery system. The solidification process was carried out with the adsorption to solid carrier method. Optimal ratios of components were specified with the pseudo-ternary phase diagram technique. Self-emulsifying drug delivery system formulations were characterized in terms of chemical interaction, droplet size/distribution, crystallization behaviors, and rheological evaluation. In vitro drug release studies were conducted and compared to pure drugs and marketed products.

Results

The solubility screening results showed high solubility of EPL in triacetin (11.99 mg/mL) as oil, Kolliphor®EL (≈ 2.65 mg/mL), and Tween80 (≈ 1.91 mg/mL) as surfactant and polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200) (≈ 8.50 mg/mL), dimethyl sulfoxide (≈ 7.57 mg/mL), TranscutolP (≈ 6.03 mg/mL) as co-surfactant, respectively. Rheology studies revealed that liquid self-emulsifying drug delivery formulations exhibited non-Newtonian pseudoplastic flow.

Conclusion

Solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems prepared with Aerosil and Neusilin have shown tremendous improvement in terms of eplerenone dissolution by releasing the entire dose with boosted effect within 5 and 30 min respectively compared to the marketed product and pure eplerenone (p < 0.05).

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Self-emulsifying drug-delivery systems
• SEDDS
• eplerenone
• solidification
• adsorption to solid carrier
• hypertension

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to special thank Neutec Pharmaceuticals, BASF, ABITEC Corporation, Croda, and Verser Vinmar for providing gift samples for the successful completion of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.