The Faculty of Pharmacy discussed the MSc Degree thesis, tagged “Study variables affecting preparation of meloxicam solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system,” by Saja AbdulKareem Muhammed and her supervisor, Associate Prof. Dr. Khalid Kadhum Alkinani, in the department of Pharmaceutics. Meloxicam belongs to the NSAID group of drugs from the oxicam family that are used to reduce inflammation and pain. This drug is in the Class II group, which has low solubility and high permeability. This drug has erratic bioavailability. Therefore, the aim of this study is to improve the solubility and bioavailability of meloxicam by incorporating it into a self-liquid microemulsification drug delivery system. Twenty-two liquid formulations were formulated by simple mixing. The different formulations were prepared by adjusting the amounts of propylene glycol, transcutol P, Tween 80, and oleic acid oil. One formulation was selected as the best self-microemulsion liquid drug delivery system. Then, two solid compositions were made from an adsorbent mixture of Avecil PH 101, Avecil PH 102, and Aerosil 200. All prepared liquid compositions were tested for a variety of properties, including thermodynamic stability, polydispersion index, particle size distributions, dilution resistance, drug contents, dispersibility, in vitro drug solubility, and emulsification time. Only the optimal formulation was subjected to zeta potential testing, AFM, FESEM, and TEM. This optimized liquid formulation showed a size of 63 nm and a higher release rate of 99.87% in 40 minutes. It has a zeta potential of -81 mV, which means it is stable. AFM, FESEM, and TEM showed uniform particle size at the nanoscale and a spherical particle shape with a smooth surface. The prepared solid compositions were subjected to tests for powder flow characteristics, drug content, and in vitro release studies. The selected solid formulation was evaluated by FTIR, XPRD, DSC, and a stability study. The best self-emulsifying microcapsule had good flow properties, the highest drug content (99.96%), and fast cumulative drug release (100% in 20 minutes). The FTIR test showed no interaction between the drug and other ingredients. The results of XPRD and DSC indicated that meloxicam was converted from its crystalline form to its amorphous form. A stability study was also conducted for three months at different temperatures that remained stable in appearance and gave the same in vitro drug release profile with little change in drug content. According to the results presented here, a self-microemulsification drug delivery system is the most likely method to improve solubility and eliminate the problem of erratic ioavailability of meloxicam.
