Solid Dispersion Technique for Solubility Enhancement of Ibuprofen

Abstract

The objective of this study was to improve the solubility of ibuprofen, a poorly water soluble drug. Ibuprofen–polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000)solid dispersions (SDs) were preparedby solvent evaporation methodin different drug-to-carrier ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 w:w)to compare the dissolution profile.The preparedSDs were investigated for drug polymer interaction using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and evaluated for saturation solubility.Saturation solubility study was carried out in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). Saturation solubility study of SDs using (PEG 6000) was found effective to enhancethe solubility of ibuprofen significantly in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2).The concentration of the dissolved drug increase from 0.45 mg/ml, when the ratio was 1:1(drug:carrier), to 2.4 mg/ml when the ratio was 1:4.SDs containing (PEG 6000)at the ratio of 1:4 (drug: carrier)was found to be mosteffective among all the solid dispersions.Solid dispersions have been found to increase the solubility of ibuprofen in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) up to 24 %. Drug carrier interactions were studied by comparing FT-IR spectrumof SDs with that of pure drug which revealed that the SDs were stable.The obtained results of this study indicated that the ibuprofen SDs using PEG 6000 as hydrophilic polymer carrier could be a promising technique to enhance solubility and hence bioavailability of ibuprofen.