RESUMO

3D printing has been explored as an emerging technology for the development of versatile and printable materials for drug delivery. However, the alliance of 3D printing and nanomaterials has, to date, been little explored in pharmaceutics. Herein, a mesoporous silica with nanostructured pores, SBA-15, was used as a drug carrier for triamcinolone acetonide, a hydrophobic drug, with the aim of incorporating the drug formulation in a hydrophilic printable ink. The adsorption of the drug in the SBA-15 pores was confirmed by the decrease in its surface area and pore volume, along with an increase in the apparent aqueous solubility of triamcinolone acetonide, as shown by in vitro release studies. Thereafter, a hydrophilic ink composed of carboxymethyl cellulose containing drug-loaded SBA-15 was formulated and 3D printed as hydrophilic polymeric film using the semisolid extrusion technique (SSE). The 3D printed films showed complete drug release after 12 h, and the presence of the triamcinolone acetonide-loaded SBA-15 improved their in vitro mucoadhesion, suggesting their promising application in oral mucosa treatments. Besides representing an innovative platform to develop water-based mucoadhesive formulations containing a hydrophobic drug, this is the first report proposing the development of SSE 3D printed nanomedicines containing drug-loaded mesoporous silica.

Assuntos

Carboximetilcelulose Sódica , Hidrogéis , Liberação Controlada de Fármacos , Impressão Tridimensional , Dióxido de Silício/química , Solubilidade , Triancinolona Acetonida , Água/química

RESUMO

The alliance between 3D printing and nanomaterials brings versatile properties to pharmaceuticals, but few studies have explored this approach in the development of skin delivery formulations. In this study, clobetasol propionate (CP) was loaded (about 25% w/w) in mesoporous silica nanomaterial (MSN) to formulate novel bioadhesive and hydrophilic skin delivery films composed of pectin (5% w/v) and carboxymethylcellulose (5% w/v) by 3D printing. As a hydrophobic model drug, CP was encapsulated in MSN at a 3:1 (w/w) ratio, resulting in a decrease of CP crystallinity and an increase of its dissolution efficiency after 72 h (65.70 ± 6.52%) as compared to CP dispersion (40.79 ± 4.75%), explained by its partial change to an amorphous form. The CP-loaded MSN was incorporated in an innovative hydrophilic 3D-printable ink composed of carboxymethylcellulose and pectin (1:1, w/w), which showed high tensile strength (3.613 ± 0.38 N, a homogenous drug dose (0.48 ± 0.032 mg/g per film) and complete CP release after 10 h. Moreover, the presence of pectin in the ink increased the skin adhesion of the films (work of adhesion of 782 ± 105 mN·mm). Therefore, the alliance between MSN and the novel printable ink composed of carboxymethylcellulose and pectin represents a new platform for the production of 3D-printed bioadhesive films, opening a new era in the development of skin delivery systems.