Production of griseofulvin nanoparticles using supercritical CO2 antisolvent with enhanced mass transfer

Griseofulvin (GF) is a poor water soluble. antifungal agent. The bioavailab ility of the drug and its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract can be greatly improved by particle size reduction. In this work. supercritical a ntisolvent precipitation with enhanced mass transfer (SAS-EM) has been prop osed for the production of GF nanoparticles. SAS-EM is a modification of th e currently existing supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation techniqu e and also utilizes supercritical CO, as the antisolvent. In SAS-EM however . the solution jet is deflected by a surface vibrating at an ultrasonic fre quency that atomizes the jet into small micro droplets. Further. the ultras ound field generated by the vibrating surface inside the supercritical medi a enhances mass transfer and prevents agglomeration due to increased mixing . GF nanoparticles of different sizes and morphologies have been obtained b y varying the vibration intensity of the deflecting surface. which in turn is adjusted by changing the power supply to the attached ultrasound transdu cer. GF nanoparticles as low as 130 nm in size have been obtained correspon ding to a power supply of 180 W. The effect of using different solvents on the size and morphology of the particles has also been studied. (C) 2001 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.