Title : Design and development of controlled release systems: Versatility in drug formulation
Abstract:
Controlled-release drug delivery systems exhibit a gamut of benefits, including improved therapeutic efficacy, reduced side effects, improved patient compliance, and optimized medicine use. For this reason, there is versatility in drug formulation for controlled release purposes. The aim of this lecture is to present two examples of drug delivery platforms with controlled release properties. The first example deals with the design and development of low- and medium-viscosity alginate beads loaded with Pluronic® F-127 nanomicelles. The properties of alginate beads, such as mechanical strength, swelling behavior, and drug release kinetics, were influenced by the encapsulation of the nanomicelles, which exhibited a size around 120 nm with low polydispersity and high stability over time. A model drug, acetyl salicylic acid (ASA), was also encapsulated in the mixed beads, and ASA’s release studies were performed [1]. The medium-viscosity alginate beads showed a slow-release profile of the ASA, while the low-viscosity alginate beads showed fast release properties. In the second example, Omeprazole's (OME) development, design, and release kinetics from solid dosage forms have been studied [2]. These formulations were tested for stability in buffer solutions with a pH of 4.5 and for rate of disintegration in an environment similar to the small intestine (pH of 6.8). The outcomes were contrasted with those of the well-known brand product Losec®, whose use has both many advantages and disadvantages. The study employed thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate the release kinetics of different dosage forms and offer insights into the interactions between the active ingredient and the excipients. In conclusion, the use of pre-formulation techniques such as thermal analysis and the investigation of the interactions between the formulation’s components play a key role in the mechanistic explanation of the release profile of the encapsulated active substances when different formulations are involved.
