An Effective Approach to Enhance the Dissolution Profile of Curcumin and Quercetin: Liquisolid Compacts

Abstract

Background: The drugs categorized under BCS class II and IV are poorly water-soluble, which in turn affects their dissolution and bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, namely, poor solubility and bioavailability, several approaches have been tried so far, like, co-solvency, size reduction or micronization, complexation, adsorption on high surface area carriers, etc. Objective: The present article aims to explore the utilization of the liquisolid technique to improve the dissolution profile of curcumin and quercetin, used as a combination in a solid dosage form. It covers the study of the impact of various carriers employed in liquisolid technology on drug dissolution profiles; Avicel pH 101, Fujicalin and Neusilin were used as carriers in this study. Methods: The solubility of the drugs was evaluated in various non-volatile solvents except water to select the vehicle having maximum solubility. All formulations were then prepared using curcumin and quercetin in a ratio of 2:1 (150 mg curcumin : 75 mg Quercetin), comprising a proportion of 40-60% w/w of the total mass of the formulation and were estimated for post-compression parameters. During the final processing of the liquisolid compacts, the carrier is to coating material ratio was kept consistent, i.e., 20:1. Results: Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized to analyze drug-excipient interaction; these studies stated no evidence of any physical or chemical interaction between drug(s) and the excipients. The final product was then evaluated for the liquid adsorption capacity and in vitro release of the drugs as a combination, and it was observed that these two properties were found to be significantly improved in the liquisolid compacts. Conclusion: The outcomes indicated that the combination of Neusilin as the carrier and castor oil as a non-volatile solvent was the best-performing formulation appropriate for targeting an improved dissolution profile.