Chitin biomass-nifedipine amorphous solid dispersion for enhancement of hydrophobic drug dissolution in aqueous media

Abstract

Solid dispersions of poorly-water soluble nifedipine using microparticles fabricated from chitin biomass were prepared to improve the drug dissolution in an aqueous medium. After the drug loading and solvent evaporation, the drug loading capacity of 1, 6, and 19 %w/w was obtained. In the microstructure, the drug was dispersed on the porous chitin carrier with minor agglomeration leading to reduced crystallization and improved dissolution, nearly 100%, as compared to the pure nifedipine powder and the physical mixture with chitin. There was an interaction between functional groups of the drug and polymer, consequently the release prolonged for the entire 6 h with the maximum drug solubility of about 300 μg/ml. An in vitro release study showed that nifedipine effectively released from chitin into a simulated gastric releasing medium (pH 1.2). In this case, the release mechanism was best fitted with a Zero-order model based on the Fick's Law in the first 2 h. This research indicated that employing microparticle obtained from chitin biomass in the solid dispersion system lowered the drug recrystallization, facilitated drug release, and provided the sustainability in pharmaceutical science.