Dissolution testing of the active pharmaceutical ingredient from a dosage form is a tool used in the development of new formulations to assess formulation stability and in vivo availability of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (how quickly and to what extent the active pharmaceutical ingredient is released from the dosage form). In regular production, it is used for quality testing of the final pharmaceutical product. However, with the increasing number of dosage forms containing poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients on the market, these require more complex media or devices for dissolution testing. Mechanical stress and physiological conditions in the stomach and intestines significantly influence the dissolution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient from the dosage form. Classical in vitro tests have difficulty mimicking the variable motility of the gastrointestinal tract, so biorelevant devices for dissolution testing, such as an artificial gastric simulator, are used for this purpose.
The aim of this master’s thesis was to develop a biorelevant method for the release of a basic active pharmaceutical ingredient with a basic pH modifier that would reflect in vivo results. The test was conducted using an artificial gastric simulator with various simulations and dissolution media:
- Test in an artificial gastric simulator in open mode, without media replacement, media: 0,1M HCl with NaCl
- Test in an artificial gastric simulator in open mode, with media replacement, media: 0,1M HCl with NaCl
- Test in an artificial gastric simulator in open mode, with media replacement, media: acetate buffer pH= 4,5
The results were then compared with in vivo data and previously conducted tests using a paddle apparatus (USP 2) with two different methods:
- Method 1: SGF pH= 1,6 + FaSSIF pH= 6,5 (75 and 100 rpm)
- Method 2: acetate buffer pH= 4,5 (100 rpm)
Out of the tested methods, two proved to be suitable for product development. The paddle apparatus method (USP2), using acetate buffer medium at pH = 4.5, is appropriate as it provided the most comparable results to the in vivo response. This method resulted in the highest release of the active pharmaceutical ingredient and showed the best discrimination between the test and the reference product, with low variability of results. This method demonstrates small differences between samples and is preferable from the robustness standpoint.
The method using an artificial stomach simulator in open mode with medium replacement (medium: 0.1M HCl with NaCl) also proved to be suitable, as it produced results consistent with in vivo data. However, this method has higher variability, so it would require optimization and additional test repetitions.
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