Objective: The objective of the present investigation was to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of poorly soluble drug meloxicam by its ternary inclusion complexation with natural polymers and beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) by kneading.
Methods: Equimolar physical mixture (1:1) was prepared by homogeneously kneading drug and β-CD using a solution of agar and pectin in water to get a paste, then paste was dried overnight to get inclusion complex. Inclusion complex was evaluated for drug content, the yield of the adsorption process, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dissolution, and stability studies.
Results: The phase solubility diagrams exhibit AL showing a linear increase of drug solubility and indicating the formation of soluble complexes. The FTIR and DSC show compatibility between meloxicam and β-CD, while slight broadening in the peak with a reduction in intensity and early onset indicates the reduction in drug crystallinity which confirms in PXRD pattern. The SEM of binary, as well as ternary, showed no aggregation, and there was a gap between the particles also indicating good redispersibility. The dissolution rate of the drug from the kneaded ternary complex with pectin was significantly rapid compared with the pure drug. The maximum drug release was observed at 85.21±1.84% at the end of 60 min. The ternary complex was found stable after 3 months stability studies.
Conclusion: The results indicated that ternary inclusion complexation with natural polymers and β-CD was most useful for enhancement of solubility and dissolution rate of a poorly soluble drug like meloxicam.