According to the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS), Etodolac belongs to class II drugs; that is, characterized by low solubility and high permeability therefore, the enhancement of its solubility and dissolution profile is expected to significantly improve its bioavailability and reduce its side effects. Aiming at achieving this goal, five water soluble polymers were assessed as solid dispersion (SD) carriers to enhance the solubility and dissolution profile of Etodolac, each in three ratios. PEG 4000 and 6000 were used to produce 2nd generation solid dispersions, while carriers possessing surface activity or self-emulsifying properties such as Pluronic F-127 and Gelucire 44/14 or 50/13 were used for production of 3rd generation SDs. Saturate solubility studies revealed higher Etodolac solubility in alkaline rather than acidic environments due to its acidic nature, also, amphiphilic polymers (Gelucires and Pluronic F127) showed higher solubility of Etodolac in both media. XRD and DSC studies revealed that the enhanced dissolution might be due to either amorphization of the drug or due to the increased surface area of the drug crystallites after formation of the solid dispersions leading to better wettability and higher dissolution. Etodolac dissolution profiles showed two distinct phases of drug dissolution. SDs exhibited faster dissolution rates than the intact drug and the corresponding PMs, and, increasing the ratio of the solubilzing carrier to drug, resulted in corresponding enhancement in the drug dissolution rate. Accordingly, solid dispersion technique can be assertively considered as a promising procedure for preparing Etodolac in an enhanced solubility and dissolution form.
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