Comparative Study between Liquisolid Compacts, Liquisolid Microsystem and Solid Dispersion Technology for the Preparation of Immediate Release Nicardipine Tablets

摘要

Liquisolid technology is a new concept for drug delivery that can improve dissolution of poorly soluble drugs. Nicardipine is class ll drug had low bioavailability mainly due to its poor dissolution. In this work, immediate release tablets of nicardipine had been prepared using liquisolid (F1-F11), liquisolid microsystem (MSF1-MSF6 and MSF10) and solid dispersion (SD1-SD6) technologies then comparing their pre-compression, post-compression and in-vitro dissolution profiles, in addition to X-ray, DSC and SEM analysis. It was found that optimum liquisolid formula (F10) and liquisolid microsystem (MSF3) showed significantly higher flowability, compressibility parameters and higher dissolution rate than solid dispersion formula (SD2) since the drug is in the solubilized form and completely in the amorphous state which provides greater surface area for drug dissolution. While the lowest dissolution rate was for the formula prepared by direct compression method and the marketed tablet. This study also showed that liquisolid microsystem compacts showed increase in drug loading capacity due to the presence of PVP and reducing the amount of additives significantly thus reducing the total weight of the tablet to more than half which improve patients compliance and economic feasibility.