Role of Polyethylene Glycol and Silica for Dissolution Enhancement of Cefuroxime Axetil: In-Vitro Performance Evaluation and Characterization

Cefuroxime Axetil (CA) a widely used cephalosporin antibiotic displays low aqueous solubility and high membrane penetrability. This results in its solubility driven variable and/or low oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy as a major drawback. Thus, most of the goal of our study was to increase the solubility as well as dissolution rate of CA using the simple and cost-effective solid dispersion (SD) method. At first, the SD formulations of CA were prepared at various weight ratios of Carplex-67 and PEG-4000 by solvent evaporation technique. These new formulations were then subjected to an in-vitro drug release performance study and tested for physicochemical characterization to distinguish the thermal behavior, crystallinity, interactions phenomena, and surface morphology. Among the formulated Cefuroxime Axetil Solid Dispersion (CSD), CSD-8 which contained CA, Carplex-67, and PEG-4000 at the weight ratio 1:3:2, respectively showed the most significant (p in-vitro dissolution in water, Gastric Simulated Fluid (GSF), and Intestinal Simulated Fluid (ISF). This study also showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in drug release compared to the marketed product. Therefore, it is supposed to be a promising alternative to conventional antimicrobial therapy.

Development and evaluation of taste-masked dry suspension of cefuroxime axetil for enhancement of oral bioavailability

Cefuroxime axetil(CA)is an ester prodrug of cefuroxime with an unpleasant taste when administrated orally.This work was to mask the bitter taste of CA and enhance its oral bioavailability.Dry suspensions were prepared by means of wet granulation method and solid dispersion method.Binders,suspending agents and other compositions involved in the formulation were optimized.The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)analysis indicated that CA was amorphous in the solid dispersion with stearic acid as the carrier,which contributed to an improvement of the dissolution rate.Taste evaluation was performed by three volunteers and taste masking was successfully achieved by the methods mentioned above.A pH 7.0 phosphate buffer was adopted to study the in vitro dissolution performance of the three formulations,i.e.,two self-made dry suspensions and the commercial one.With a better release characteristic and a satisfying taste masking ability,the solid dispersion suspension was selected as the optimal formulation for the further pharmacokinetic study in beagle dogs.The values of Cmax and AUC0e12 for the solid dispersion suspension were about 1.78-fold and 2.17-fold higher than these of reference suspension,respectively.The obtained results demonstrated that the solid dispersion can efficiently mask the bitter taste of CA and significantly enhance its oral bioavailability.

Accelerated Aqueous Solubility and Antibacterial Activity of Cefuroxime Axetil Using Microcrystalline Cellulose as Carrier

This investigation was undertaken to enhance the solubility and consequent antibacterial activity of cefuroxime axetil (CA), a β-lactamase-stable broad spectrum second generation cephalosporin through solid dispersion (SD) technique. For this purpose, CA loaded SDs (CSDs) were prepared by solvent evaporation method using different concentrations of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as carrier. The CSDs were characterized by in-vitro dissolution study, thermal analysis (DSC), crystallinity (PXRD), interactions (FTIR) and morphology (SEM). Among the formulations, CSD-2 showed the highest dissolution rate which was 2.59-fold higher than pure CA with a drug-carrier (CA: MCC) ratio of 1:3. Enhanced dissolution rate was attributed to conversion of drug from crystalline to amorphous state during preparation of SDs, which was validated by DSC, PXRD, FTIR and SEM analyses. Antibacterial activity of CSD-2 against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) showed 1.94- and 6.75-fold higher relative zone of inhibition (RZOI), respectively than pure CA. CSD-2 has been found to be the most effective optimized formulation in terms of both enhanced dissolution rate and antibacterial activity. Thus, it can be an effective alternative to conventional dosage forms of CA. However, further investigations are needed to validate its pharmacokinetic properties, in-vivo antibacterial efficacy and safety before recommending as a novel