Journal: |
Drug Delivery
Taylor & Francis
|
Volume: |
|
Abstract: |
Employment of mesoporous silica nanostructures (MSNs) in the drug delivery field has shown a signifi-
cant potential for improving the oral delivery of active pharmaceutical products with low solubility in
water. Mirtazapine (MRT) is a tetracyclic antidepressant with poor water solubility (BCS Class II), which
was recently approved as a potent drug used to treat severe depression. The principle of this research
is to optimize the incorporation of Mirtazapine into MSNs to improve its aqueous solubility, loading
efficiency, release performance, and subsequent bioavailability. The formulation was optimized by
using of Box-Behnken Design, which allows simultaneous estimation of the impact of different types
of silica (SBA-15, MCM-41, and Aluminate-MCM-41), a different drug to silica ratios (33.33%, 49.99%,
and 66.66%), and different drug loading procedures (Incipient wetness, solvent evaporation, and solv-
ent impregnation) on the MRT loading efficiency, aqueous solubility and dissolution rate. The opti-
mized formula was achieved by loading MRT into SBA-15 at 33.33% drug ratio prepared by the
incipient wetness method, which displayed a loading efficiency of 104.05%, water solubility of 0.2 mg/
ml, and 100% dissolution rate after 30 min. The pharmacokinetic profile of the optimized formula was
obtained by conducting the in-vivo study in rabbits which showed a marked improvement (2.14-fold)
in oral bioavailability greater than plain MRT. The physicochemical parameters and morphology of the
optimized formula were characterized by; gas adsorption manometry, scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), polarized light microscopy (PLM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential
scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD).
|
|
|