In: Chemistry
What are some ways to weaken the forces between the drug molecules in their solid state to increase their solubility in water?
The following methods can be used to enhance drug solubility in water:
1) Fusion method (Hot-melt method) :- In this method both the drug and water soluble carrier are directly mixed and heated until both of them melts. They are then rapidly cooled to form tabloids which are readily soluble in water. An important prerequisite is the miscibility of the drug and the carrier in the molten form.
2) Nanosuspension:- This technique is applicable for drugs insoluble in both water and oil. This deals with preparation of drug molecules in the nanometer scale size range (less than 1um), stabilised by surfactants and taken orally.
3) High Pressure Homogenization:- This involves conversion of drug microparticles into nanoparticles by application of pressure and making it pass through a small valve of a high pressure homegenizer. It is based on cavitation in aqueous phase.
4) Supercritical Fluid process :- This involves the usage of fluids at their supercritical temperature and pressure for conversion of drugs to nanoparticle size range.
5) Cryogenic techniques