Novel self-assembled mesalamine–sucralfate complexes: preparation, characterization, and formulation aspects

Abstract

Two well-known active agents, mesalamine (MES) and sucralfate (SUC), were investigated for possible utilization as fixed-dose combination product. The anti-inflammatory action of MES in association with bioadhesiveness and mucosal healing properties of SUC were considered promising for the development of a new compound containing both molecules, aimed as an improved treatment of ulcerative colitis. The present study investigates the capacity of the two active agents to interact and generate a new and stable entity via self-assembling. Spray-drying was used to co-process the two active principles from an aqueous mixture where the ratio MES:SUC was in the range 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25. The structural data (X-Ray, FTIR, SEM, DSC, and ¹H NMR) have shown that MES and SUC are interacting leading to complexes with properties differing from those of each separate active agent and from their physical blends. ¹H NMR results indicated that complexation occurred when the aqueous suspensions of drugs were mixed, prior to spray-drying. Drug–drug self-assembling was the driving mechanism in the formation of the new entity. Based on the structural data, a hypothetical structure of the complex was proposed. Co-processing of MES and SUC represents a simple and useful procedure to prepare new self-assembled compounds by valorizing the ionic interactions between the two entities. Preliminary studies with oral solid dosage forms based on MES–SUC complexes tested in vitro have shown a controlled MES release, opening the perspective of a new colon-targeted delivery system and a novel class of compounds with therapeutic application in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Keywords:

• Co-processing
• drug complex
• drug delivery
• inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
• mesalamine
• self-assembling
• spray-drying
• structural analysis
• sucralfate

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Van Huu Tra for helpful discussions and Dr Alexandre Arnold for NMR analysis. Thanks are due to Mr. Michel Preda and Mr. Raynald Lapointe for valuable assistance with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. Support from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC-SD 386421) and from Aptalis Pharma is gratefully acknowledged.