Microencapsulation of Ibuprofen into Polyvinylpyrrolidone Using Supercritical Fluid Technology

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a disease that attacks human bones especially in older people and usually non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs are being prescribed for patients with Osteoarthritis. These kinds of drugs usually have low aqueous solubility, dissolution and bioavailability. In order to maximize their therapeutic effects, these properties should be develped and enhanced. The purpose of this study was to reduce the particle size of ibuprofen by forming microparticles and thus enhance its dissolution rate. Ibuprofen was encapsulated into a polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone) using supercritical fluid technology (supercritical CO2) to form drug-polymer microparticles. Dissolution rate and surface characteristics of the prepared drug-polymer microparticles were measured using various characterization techniques such as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Various drug-polymer formulations were prepared depending on the operating conditions (i.e., different temperatures, pressures, flow rates and different drug solution:CO2 volume ratio). Results from TEM images and FTIR graphs showed that microparticles were successfully prepared. Different conditions gave different morphologies of drug-polymer microparticles as was confirmed using SEM analysis. Finally, dissolution rate of the drug-polymer microparticles in a simulated gastric fluid showed a promising result and better drug release controll over extended period of two hours in comparesion with uncapsulated Ibuprofen.