Solubility Enhancement of Poorly Water-Soluble Antifungal Drug Acyclovir by Nanocrystal Formulation Approach
Administration of an antiviral drug, acyclovir via the oral route leads to low and variable bioavailability (15-30%). Therefore, this research work was aimed to enhance bioavailability of acyclovir by nanocrystallization technique. The drug nanocrystals were prepared by anti-solvent precipitation method in which different stabilizers were used. The formed nanocrystals are subjected to biopharmaceutical characterization including solubility, particle size and in-vitro release. SEM studies showed nano-crystals were crystalline nature with sharp peaks. The formulated drug nanocrystals were found to be in the range of 600-900nm and formulations NC7 and NC8 showed marked improvement in dissolution velocity when compared to pure drug, thus providing greater bioavailability. FT-IR and DSC studies revealed the absence of any chemical interaction between drug and polymers used.