Abstract
The objectives of the current work were (a) to investigate the suitability of soluplus®, a hydrophilic polymer, as a carrier for the entrapment of curcumin (CUR) SEDDS by the spray-drying process, and (b) to compare soluplus® with neusilin® US2, a hydrophobic high-capacity adsorbent for solid SEDDS. Both carriers produced free flowing powders with high CUR entrapment efficiency. When filled into capsules, approximately 95% of CUR was dissolved from the soluplus® powder within 120 min and only 41% from the neusilin® US2 base powder. When the powders were compressed into tablets, a slow CUR release was observed over 24 h, which varied as a function of compression force and the percentage of disintegrant used. In conclusion, current study demonstrated the feasibility of using soluplus® as a carrier for the preparation of solid SEDDS with more favorable release profiles when compared to the conventional hydrophobic adsorbents.
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•Soluplus® could be used as a carrier for the entrapment of SEDDS.•Spray drying is efficient for the preparation of Solid SEDDS with Soluplus®.•Solid SEDDS in Soluplus® exhibit comparable flow as Neusilin® based adsorbates.•CUR-SEDDS dissolves faster when trapped in Soluplus® compared to Neusilin® US2.•Compression of powdered SEDDS results in sustained CUR release.