Using Supercritical Fluid Technology as a Green Alternative During the Preparation of Drug Delivery Systems.

Karthik Nagapudi,Amin Famili,Paroma Chakravarty,Mohammad A Al-Sayah

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics11120629

Abstract

Micro- and nano-carrier formulations have been developed as drug delivery systems for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that suffer from poor physico-chemical, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties. Encapsulating the APIs in such systems can help improve their stability by protecting them from harsh conditions such as light, oxygen, temperature, pH, enzymes, and others. Consequently, the API’s dissolution rate and bioavailability are tremendously improved. Conventional techniques used in the production of these drug carrier formulations have several drawbacks, including thermal and chemical stability of the APIs, excessive use of organic solvents, high residual solvent levels, difficult particle size control and distributions, drug loading-related challenges, and time and energy consumption. This review illustrates how supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies can be superior in controlling the morphology of API particles and in the production of drug carriers due to SCF’s non-toxic, inert, economical, and environmentally friendly properties. The SCF’s advantages, benefits, and various preparation methods are discussed. Drug carrier formulations discussed in this review include microparticles, nanoparticles, polymeric membranes, aerogels, microporous foams, solid lipid nanoparticles, and liposomes.

Highlights

Some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) suffer from poor physico-chemical, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties which limit their therapeutic effect
It is clear that supercritical fluid (SCF)-based methods provide unique opportunities to (1) tune size, morphology, and polymorphic form of APIs; (2) improve methods of making established drug delivery platforms such as amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) and polymer–matrix-based carriers; (3) manufacture novel drug delivery systems such as aerogels, solid lipid nanoparticles and liposomes; and (4) tune properties of polymer membranes, which in turn show improved performance in unit operations such as filtration and dialysis
In spite of these advantages, SCF technologies are underutilized in the pharmaceutical setting, with separation-based unit operations being the exception

Summary

Introduction

Some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) suffer from poor physico-chemical, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties which limit their therapeutic effect. Conventional techniques used in the production of these carriers have several drawbacks, including thermal and chemical stability of the APIs, excessive use of organic solvents, high residual solvent levels, difficulty in controlling particle size and distributions, drug loading-related challenges, and time and energy consumption [4,5]. This mandates the exploration of alternative production techniques to overcome these limitations

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Discussion

Conclusion