Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) printing is a simple technology that shows the possibility for the preparation of personalized pharmaceutical dosage forms. This technology can accurately print medicine in different sizes, which can be applied to develop a personalized, drug-loaded orodispersible film for patients with dysphagia. Seed gum from Tamarindus indica Linn was selected as the film former of the printing substrate, and sorbitol was applied as a film plasticizer. Theophylline was used as a printed model drug due to its narrow therapeutic index. From the results, the mechanical properties of the film indicated that increasing the level of sorbitol improved the flexibility and strength of the film, which rendered the gum film suitable as a printing substrate. Conversely, raising portions of the gum (more than 3.5%) led to the use of rigid and stress-resistant films that can crack during the printing process. The Fourier transform infrared result revealed that there was no interaction between theophylline and the gum after the printing process. The printed theophylline was mainly in an amorphous form based on the X-ray diffraction results. Furthermore, theophylline was deposited at the surface of the gum substrate after the drug-printing process, as depicted in the scanning electron microscope images. The printed drug on the orodispersible film can be accurately determined by varying the printing size/repeat. Lastly, the drug was completely released from the orodispersible film within 5 min. The research results showed the possibility of utilizing tamarind seed gum as a potential printing substrate for the 2D drug-printing technique. Moreover, this can be applied as an electronic prescribing system for telemedicine in the future.
Highlights
Drug production technology in the 21st century tends to be personalized [1,2] to reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions and to optimize therapeutic efficiency; two-dimensional (2D) printing technology has been adapted to manufacture orodispersible films
Among several 2D printing techniques, inkjet printing has been applied for manufacturing drug-loaded films due to its feasibility and the high precision/accuracy of the deposited ink volume
Inkjet printing technology is a suitable method for film preparation prior to loading high-potency and/or narrow therapeutic index drugs [4,5]
Summary
Drug production technology in the 21st century tends to be personalized [1,2] to reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions and to optimize therapeutic efficiency; two-dimensional (2D) printing technology has been adapted to manufacture orodispersible films. This is because 2D printing can digitally deposit a very small amount of drug (ink) on a substrate (edible carrier) [3]. Among several 2D printing techniques, inkjet printing has been applied for manufacturing drug-loaded films due to its feasibility and the high precision/accuracy of the deposited ink volume. The film disintegration time and the drug dissolution in vitro were evaluated
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