Flocculated Amorphous Nanoparticles for Highly Supersaturated Solutions

Purpose: To recover polymer-stabilized amorphous nanoparticles from aqueous dispersions efficiently by salt flocculation and to show that the particles redisperse and dissolve rapidly to produce highly supersaturated solutions.

Methods: Nanoparticle dispersions of itraconazole stabilized by nonionic polymers were formed by antisolvent precipitation and immediately flocculated with sodium sulfate, filtered and dried. The size after redispersion in water, crystallinity, and morphology were compared with those for particles produced by spray drying and rapid freezing.

Results: Particle drug loading increased to approximately 90% after salt flocculation and removal of excess polymer with the filtrate. The formation of the flocs at constant particle volume fraction led to low fractal dimensions (open flocs), which facilitated redispersion in water to the original primary particle size of approximately 300 nm. Amorphous particles, which were preserved throughout the flocculation-filtration-drying process, dissolved to supersaturation levels of up to 14 in pH 6.8 media. In contrast, both spray dried and rapidly frozen nanoparticle dispersions crystallized and did not produce submicron particle dispersions upon addition to water, nor high supersaturation values.

Conclusions: Salt flocculation produces large yields of high surface area amorphous nanoparticle powders that de-aggregate and dissolve rapidly upon redispersion in pH 6.8 media, for supersaturation levels up to 14.