Development of an Oxcarbazepine Solid Dispersion Using Skimmed Milk to Improve the Solubility and Dissolution Profile

Abstract

Oxcarbazepine has low solubility and low oral bioavailability, so it’s a challenge to formulate suitable dosage form. In this present investigation, to improve the dissolution rate and solubility, skimmed milk is used as a carrier. Physical mixers were prepared using various drugs to carrier ratio and spray drying technology was used to develop solid dispersion with the carrier. Various techniques were used to characterize the solid dispersion immediately after they were made which includes differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and in-vitro dissolution profiles. The differential scanning calorimetry thermograms of raw drug indicated of its anhydrous crystalline nature. In thermograms of solid dispersion, the characteristic peak was absent suggesting the change from crystalline nature to amorphous form. X-ray diffraction confirmed those results. X-ray diffraction results of raw drug showed highly intense peak characteristic of its crystalline nature where solid dispersion showed less intense, more diffused peak indicating the change in crystalline form. Fourier transforms infra-red spectroscopy studies showed there was no interaction between drug and carrier. Scanning electron microscopy support the amorphous nature of mixer. The whole formulation showed distinct enhancement in the drug release behavior and solubility. The optimum oxcarbazepine to skimmed milk ratio 1:3 enhances the in-vitro drug release by 3.5 fold and also show distinct increase in solubility. It was concluded that for improvement of solubility of poorly water soluble oxcarbazepine, skimmed milk powder as a carrier can be utilize very well.