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Physicochemical characterization of artemether solid dispersions with hydrophilic carriers by freeze dried and melt methods

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Abstract

Solid dispersions of artemether (ARM), a poorly soluble drug, were prepared using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVPK25, MW 25000) and polyethyleneglycol (PEG4000, MW 4000) as excipients. These dispersions were studied by physical mixture, freeze-drying, and melting methods. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern, fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetery, and dissolution studies. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the complete crystalline nature of artemether, whereas physical mixtures, melt mixtures (MM), and freeze-dried solid dispersions (FDSD) of ARM-PVP and ARM-PEG showed reduced peak intensities with increased PVP/PEG content. PEG showed lower decreases in intensity than PVP preparations. Differential scanning calorimetery also confirmed this finding by showing either a small or absent endotherm. Red shifts in O-H stretching vibrations of ARM were higher in the MM of ARM-PVP than its FDSD as exhibited by fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry. The carbonyl peak of PEG was blue shifted in MM and FDSD, whereas the C=O peak of PVP was red shifted in FDSD and MM, indicating different H-bonding by PEG and PVP with ARM. The rate of dissolution (phosphate buffer at pH 4.5) was improved up to 4-fold in MM and FDSD compared to artemether, and up to 50% compared to physical mixtures. The preparation of solid dispersions influenced the rate of dissolution at various drug-carrier ratios, i.e., the dissolution order of 1:1–1:4 ratio was MM > FDSD; FDSD > MM at 1:6–1:8 ratios of both ARM-PVP and ARM-PEG; and FDSD of ARM-PEG > FDSD of ARM-PVP > MM of ARM-PEG > MM of ARM-PVP at a 1:10 ratio.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Tayyab Ansari, Shahid Karim, Nazar Muhammad Ranjha & Nisar Hussain Shah

  2. Department of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

    Sher Muhammad

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  1. Muhammad Tayyab Ansari
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  2. Shahid Karim
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  3. Nazar Muhammad Ranjha
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  4. Nisar Hussain Shah
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Correspondence to Muhammad Tayyab Ansari.

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Ansari, M.T., Karim, S., Ranjha, N.M. et al. Physicochemical characterization of artemether solid dispersions with hydrophilic carriers by freeze dried and melt methods. Arch. Pharm. Res. 33, 901–910 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-010-0613-7

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