3D printed scaffolds as delivery devices for nanocrystals: A proof of concept loading Atorvastatin with enhanced properties for sublingual route of administration.

Increasing the solubility of drugs is a recurrent objective of pharmaceutical research, and one of the most widespread strategies today is the formulation of nanocrystals (NCs). Beyond the many advantages of formulating NCs, their incorporation into solid dosage forms remains a challenge that limits their use. In this work, we set out to load Atorvastatin NCs (ATV-NCs) in a delivery device by combining 3D scaffolds with an "in situ" loading method such as freeze-drying. When comparing two infill patterns for the scaffolds at two different percentages, the one with the highest NCs load was chosen (Gyroid 20 % infill pattern, 13.8 ± 0.5 mg). Colloidal stability studies of NCs suggest instability in acidic media, and therefore, the system is postulated for use as a sublingual device, potentially bypassing stomach and hepatic first-pass effects. An ad hoc dissolution device was developed to mimic the release of actives. The nanometric size and properties acquired in the process were maintained, mainly in the dissolution rate and speed, achieving 100 % dissolution of the content in 180 s. Based on these results, the proof of concept represents an innovative approach to converting NCs suspensions into solid dosage forms.

Significant progress in improving Atorvastatin dissolution rate: Physicochemical characterization and stability assessment of self-dispersible Atorvastatin/Tween 80® nanocrystals formulated through wet milling and freeze-drying.

Atorvastatin (ATV) is a first-line drug for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. This drug presents biopharmaceutical problems, partly due to its low solubility and dissolution rate. In this work, nanocrystals of ATV stabilized with Tween 80® were designed by wet milling. A full factorial design was applied to optimize the process. Additionally, a cryoprotectant agent (maltodextrin, MTX) was identified, which allowed maintaining the properties of the nanocrystals after lyophilization. The storage stability of the nanocrystals was demonstrated for six months in different conditions. The obtained nanocrystal powder was characterized using SEM, EDXS, TEM, DSC, TGA, FT-IR, and XRD, showing the presence of irregular crystals with semi-amorphous characteristics, likely due to the particle collision process. Based on the reduction in particle size and the decrease in drug crystallinity, a significant increase in water and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) solubility by 4 and 6 times, respectively, was observed. On the other hand, a noticeable increase in the dissolution rate was observed, with 90 % of the drug dissolved within 60 min of study, compared to 30 % of the drug dissolved within 12 h in the case of the untreated drug or the physical mixture of components. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the nano-milling of Atorvastatin stabilized with Tween 80® is a promising strategy for developing new formulations with improved biopharmaceutical properties of this widely used drug.