Effect of magnesium stearate solid lipid nanoparticles as a lubricant on the properties of tablets by direct compression.

This study discusses the lubricant properties of magnesium stearate solid lipid nanoparticles (MgSt-SLN) and their effect on the tabletability, mechanical properties, disintegration, and acetaminophen-model dissolution time of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) tablets prepared by direct compression. The behavior of MgSt-SLN was compared to reference material (RM) to identify advantages and drawbacks. The nanoprecipitation/ion exchange method was employed to prepare the MgSt-SLN. Particle size, zeta potential, specific surface area, morphology, and true density were measured to characterize the nanosystem. The MgSt-SLN particle sizes obtained were 240 ± 5 nm with a specific surface area of 12.2 m2/g. The MCC tablets with MgSt-SLN presented a reduction greater than 20 % in their ejection force, good tabletability, higher tensile strength, lower disintegration delay, and marked differences in acetaminophen dissolution when compared to the RM. The reduced particle size of the magnesium stearate seems to offer a promising technological advantage as an efficient lubricant process that does not affect the properties of tablets.

Preparation of nanodispersions by solvent displacement using the Venturi tube.

The Venturi tube (VT) is an apparatus that produces turbulence which is taken advantage of to produce nanoparticles (NP) by solvent displacement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of this device for preparing NP of poly-ε-caprolactone. Response Surface Methodology was used to determine the effect of the operating conditions and optimization. The NP produced by VT were characterized by Dynamic Light-Scattering to determine their particle size distribution (PS) and polydispersity index (PDI). Results showed that the Reynolds number (Re) has a strong effect on both PS and process yield (PY).The turbulence regime is key to the efficient formation of NP. The optimal conditions for obtaining NP were a polymer concentration of 1.6 w/v, a recirculation rate of 4.8 L/min, and a stabilizer concentration of 1.1 w/v. The predicted response of the PY was 99.7%, with a PS of 333 nm, and a PDI of 0.2. Maintaining the same preparation conditions will make it possible to obtain NP using other polymers with similar properties. Our results show that VT is a reproducible and versatile method for manufacturing NP, and so may be a feasible method for industrial-scale nanoprecipitation production.