Determination of flurbiprofen solubility in a wax-based matrix using hyperDSC, Higuchi release kinetics and microscopy

G. S. Oladiran, H. K. Batchelor*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The solubility of flurbiprofen in Witepsol H15, a semi-solid wax matrix, was determined using microscopy, Higuchi release rates and HyperDSC (high speed differential scanning calorimetry); solubility values of 20-30% w/w, 9.56% w/w and 20.13% w/w resulted from the three techniques, respectively. Microscopy was useful in additionally examining crystal size, shape and distribution. Release rate experiments showed that release from these formulations followed Higuchi kinetics with an inflection in release rate constant at the drug loading corresponding to drug solubility. HyperDSC not only measured solubility but also determined the melting point of the formulation. The results from microscopy and HyperDSC correlated well with release kinetics providing a much lower solubility value. Higuchi release kinetics are based on release from liquids and ointments whereas melting waxes provide a more complex system which may account for the variation in solubility estimation using this technique. This study further demonstrated the use of HyperDSC as a robust, high throughput technique to measure the solubility of a drug in a semi-solid.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1039-1043
Number of pages5
JournalChemical Engineering Research and Design
Volume85
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2007

Keywords

  • Flurbiprofen
  • Higuchi kinetics
  • HyperDSC
  • Solubility

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Determination of flurbiprofen solubility in a wax-based matrix using hyperDSC, Higuchi release kinetics and microscopy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this