Formulation of a Poorly Water-Soluble Drug Sirolimus in Solid Dispersions to Improve Dissolution

An attempt has been made to enhance solubility and dissolution of sirolimus by solid dispersion and complexation technique using various hydrophilic excipients. Sirolimus an immunosuppressant agent has low bioavailability due to its low aqueous solubility. Solid dispersion of sirolimus in PEG-6000, Poloxamer-188, and Mannitol were prepared by fusion and solvent evaporation method. Beta-CD complexation of sirolimus was prepared by kneading method. In vitro dissolution studies were carried out in 0.4% SLS in water, which showed that the solid dispersion containing PEG 6000 (1:1), which was prepared by solvent evaporation method, showed faster dissolution rate than the other formulations and β-cyclodextrin complex. Solid dispersions containing PEG 6000 was further investigated by x-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and FTIR. X-ray powder diffraction and DSC patterns suggested that the drug state changed from crystalline to amorphous form in the formulation.