Exploratory study on physicochemical properties of nitazoxanide nanocrystalline suspension obtained by evaporative solvent-antisolvent technique

Rui Filipe da Conceição Teixeira, Lucas Antunes Araújo * and Gabriel Lima Barros de Araújo

Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 13(01), 1232–1239.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2024.13.1.1807
Publication history: 
Received on 10 August 2024; revised on 23 September 2024; accepted on 25 September 2024
 
Abstract: 
Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug with low bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility, classified as a Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) class II drug. This study aimed to improve the understanding of NTZ nanocrystalline suspensions produced via the solvent-antisolvent technique. NTZ was extracted from commercially available coated tablets and characterized using DSC, TG, UV-Vis, and FTIR, revealing the presence of impurities likely from excipients. Nanocrystalline suspensions were prepared using three different stabilizers (Lecithin, Poloxamer 188, and Tween® 80) and evaluated for particle size distribution (PSD) and polydispersity index (PDI) over a one-week stability study. Poloxamer 188 was the most effective in reducing particle size (934.7 nm), though Lecithin achieved a more favorable PDI (0.289), indicating better particle uniformity. These findings suggest the solvent-antisolvent technique is a promising approach for producing NTZ nanocrystalline suspensions, but further reduction in particle size and exploration of alternative stabilizers are needed to optimize stability and performance.
 
Keywords: 
Nitazoxanide; Nanocrystalline suspension; Solven-antisolvent; Bottom-up; Nanoparticles; Pharmaceutical Technology
 
Full text article in PDF: 
 
Copyright information: 

Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0