Pharmaceutical Research

, Volume 34, Issue 1, pp 208–216 | Cite as

Physicochemical Properties of Solid Phospholipid Particles as a Drug Delivery Platform for Improving Oral Absorption of Poorly Soluble Drugs

  • Kohsaku Kawakami
  • Aoi Miyazaki
  • Mayuko Fukushima
  • Keiko Sato
  • Yuko Yamamura
  • Kohta Mohri
  • Shinji Sakuma
Research Paper
  • 519 Downloads

Abstract

Purpose

A novel drug delivery platform, mesoporous phospholipid particle (MPP), is introduced. Its physicochemical properties and ability as a carrier for enhancing oral absorption of poorly soluble drugs are discussed.

Methods

MPP was prepared through freeze-drying a cyclohexane/t-butyl alcohol solution of phosphatidylcholine. Its basic properties were revealed using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, hygroscopicity measurement, and so on. Fenofibrate was loaded to MPP as a poorly soluble model drug, and effect of MPP on the oral absorption behavior was observed.

Results

MPP is spherical in shape with a diameter typically in the range of 10–15 μm and a wide surface area that exceeds 10 m2/g. It has a bilayer structure that may accommodate hydrophobic drugs in the acyl chain region. When fenofibrate was loaded in MPP as a model drug, it existed partially in a crystalline state and improvement in the dissolution behavior was achieved in the presence of a surfactant, because of the formation of mixed micelles composed of phospholipids and surfactants in the dissolution media. MPP greatly improved the oral absorption of fenofibrate compared to that of the crystalline drug and its efficacy was almost equivalent to that of an amorphous drug dispersion.

Conclusion

MPP is a promising option for improving the oral absorption of poorly soluble drugs based on the novel mechanism of dissolution improvement.

KEY WORDS

oral absorption phospholipid poorly soluble drug 

ABBREVIATIONS

BuOH

Buthyl alcohol

DSC

Differential scanning calorimetry

DTA

Differential thermal analysis

FEN

Fenofibrate

FIB

Focused ion beam

HSPC

Hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine

MPP

Mesoporous phospholipid particle

SD

Solid dispersion

SEM

Scanning electron microscopy

TCNa

Sodium taurocholate

TGA

Thermogravimetric analysis

XRPD

X-ray powder diffraction

Notes

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLOSURES

The authors wish to thank Dr. Kaoru Murata (FEI Company) for performing the FIB-milling SEM investigation. Mr. Yasushiro Otsuka (TA Instruments Japan) is also acknowledged for the hygroscopicity measurement. This work was in part supported by Hosokawa Powder Technology Foundation and World Premier International Research Center (WPI) Initiative on Materials Nanoarchitectonics, MEXT, Japan.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kohsaku Kawakami
    • 1
  • Aoi Miyazaki
    • 1
  • Mayuko Fukushima
    • 1
  • Keiko Sato
    • 1
  • Yuko Yamamura
    • 2
  • Kohta Mohri
    • 2
  • Shinji Sakuma
    • 2
  1. 1.International Center for Materials NanoarchitectonicsNational Institute for Materials ScienceTsukubaJapan
  2. 2.Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesSetsunan UniversityHirakataJapan

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