Microencapsulation of erythromycin and clarithromycin using a spray-drying technique

Abstract

Previous methods of microencapsulation are unable to process particles smaller than 100 microm without organic solvents or the use of multistep processes. The present study investigates the feasiblity of a one-step spray-drying process to microencapsulate erythromycin and clarithromycin, antibiotics known to have an unpleasant, bitter taste. Mixtures of clarithromycin (5% by weight) or erythromycin (30% by weight) with a biodegradable polymer were prepared and spray-dried under specific conditions of temperature and turbine speed. This process resulted in the microencapsulation of 80% of each drug as determined by high pressure liquid chromatography. Particle size ranged from 1 to 80 microm as determined by electron microscopy. These data show that microencapsulation of macrolides using a spray-drying technique is feasible. Spray-drying microencapsulation might be useful in the formulation of palatable oral suspensions of bitter tasting drugs.

Release profile and characteristics of electrosprayed particles for oral delivery of a practically insoluble drug

“…Of these now conventional techniques, spray drying is considered the most attractive for controlling particle size and structural features and further allows for the production of dry particle powder on an industrial scale [22]. Yet, spray drying also has its limitations such as a broad particle-size distribution, particle agglomeration owing to insufficient dispersion, low particle yield at the laboratory scale and the potential instability of materials sensitive to high temperatures [23,24]. In this paper, an alternative approach somewhat similar to spray drying, but overcoming these limitations, is considered and optimized for the purpose of producing microspheres loaded with hydrophobic drugs.…”