Improved Bioavailability and High Photostability of Methotrexate by Spray-Dried Surface-Attached Solid Dispersion with an Aqueous Medium

• Main Authors: Bhupendra Raj Giri (Author), Jung Suk Kim (Author), Jong Hyuck Park (Author), Sung Giu Jin (Author), Kyeong Soo Kim (Author), Fakhar ud Din (Author), Han Gon Choi (Author), Dong Wuk Kim (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability are major concerns in the development of oral solid-dosage drug forms. In this study, we fabricated surface-attached solid dispersion (SASD) to enhance the solubility, bioavailability, and photostability of methotrexate (MTX), a highly lipophilic and photo-unstable drug. Several MTX-loaded SASD formulations were developed for spray-drying using water as the solvent, and were investigated for their aqueous solubility and dissolution kinetics. An optimized ternary SASD formulation composed of MTX/ sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC)/sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) at 3/0.5/0.5 (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) had 31.78-fold and 1.88-fold higher solubility and dissolution, respectively, than MTX powder. For SASD, the in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters AUC and C_max were 2.90- and 3.41-fold higher, respectively, than for the MTX powder. Solid-state characterizations by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction revealed that MTX exists in its crystalline state within the spray-dried SASD. The MTX-loaded SASD formulation showed few physical changes with photostability testing. Overall, the results indicate that the spray-dried MTX-loaded SASD formulation without organic solvents enhances the solubility and oral bioavailability of MTX without a significant deterioration of its photochemical stability.

Item Description

10.3390/pharmaceutics13010111
1999-4923