Abstract
Objective: Enalapril maleate (EM) is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. It is generally prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, heart failure and chronic kidney diseases in adults and children. EM 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg tablets and EM injection 1.25 mg/ml are currently available in the market. But a liquid paediatric formulation of this medicine is not currently available. Also, it is a BCS class III drug, having a bioavailability of approximately 60%. The present study proposes a new strategy for improvement of drug bioavailability and taste masking: EM nanoencapsulation within polymeric nanoparticles suspensions prepared with Eudragit RS100 (ERS100) as polymer and Tween 80 as a stabilizer, aiming at obtaining a liquid dosage form suitable for paediatric administration.Methods: Nanoprecipitation method used for the preparation of nanoparticles suspension. The preparations were evaluated for drug content, entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, pH, viscosity and in vitro drug release. Based on the entrapment efficiency, viscosity and in vitro drug release the optimized formulation was selected. Optimized formulation evaluated for taste, ex vivo intestinal permeation, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and release kinetic studies.Results: The optimized nanoparticle formulation F8 having drug to polymer ratio of 1:100 showed satisfactory drug content (95.1%), entrapment efficiency (77.71%), particle size (198.47 nm), pH (6.36), viscosity (2.9 x〖10〗^(-3)Pa•s) and 81.2% drug release after 12 h. The formulation has taste-masking properties and shows 84.6% drug permeation through the goat intestine within 12 h.Conclusion: The prepared nanoparticles suspension of Enalapril maleate was found to be an effective liquid pharmaceutical dosage form for paediatric administration with taste-masking properties.
Highlights
The pharmaceutical formulation of paediatric medicines is one of the most challenging and critical areas in drug development
The nanoparticles suspensions were spontaneously formed when the organic phase containing Eudragit RS100 and Enalapril maleate was injected into stirred aqueous surfactant solution (Tween 80), resulting in a colloidal suspension
Entrapment efficiency, viscosity and in vitro drug release formulation F8 was selected as an optimized batch
Summary
The pharmaceutical formulation of paediatric medicines is one of the most challenging and critical areas in drug development. The drug formulations used in paediatric pharmacotherapy should be suited to their age, size, physiologic condition, and treatment requirements. Such paediatric medicines are important to achieve safe and accurate dose administration, reducing the risk of medication errors, enhancing compliance, and improving therapeutic outcomes in children [1]. Enalapril maleate (EM) is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor It is an ethyl ester prodrug, and pharmacological effects are mediated by the active metabolite, enalaprilat. The main effect of enalaprilat is the inhibition of ACE, a key component in the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system It is generally prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, heart failure and chronic kidney diseases in adults and children. It is necessary to develop paediatric friendly formulations to achieve the right therapeutic concentration, avoid side effects, improve palatability and enhance patient compliance [2, 3]
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