The rapid advancement of drug delivery systems (DDS) has raised the possibility of using functional engineered nano/micro-particles as drug carriers for the administration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to the affected area. The major goals in designing these functional particles are to control the particle size, the surface properties and the pharmacologically active agents release in order to achieve the site-specification of the drug at the therapeutically optimal rate and dose regimen. Two different equipment (i.e. glass capillary microfluidic device and micro-engineered membrane dispersion cell) were utilised in this study for the formation of functional nano/micro-particles by antisolvent precipitation method. This method is based on micromixing/direct precipitation of two miscible liquids, which appear as a straightforward method, rapid and easy to perform, does not require high stirring rates, sonication, elevated temperatures, surfactants and Class 1 solvents can be avoided. Theoretical selection of a good solvent and physicochemical interaction between solvent-water-polymer with the aid of Bagley s two-dimensional graph were successfully elucidated the nature of anti-solvent precipitation method for the formation of desired properties of functional pharmaceutical nano/micro-engineered particles. For the glass capillary microfluidic experiment, the organic phase (a mixture of polymer and tetrahydrofuran/acetone) was injected through the inner glass capillary with a tapered cross section culminated in a narrow orifice. The size of nanoparticles was precisely controlled by controlling phase flow rates, orifice size and flow configuration (two- phase co-flow or counter-current flow focusing). The locations at which the nanoparticles would form were determined by using the solubility criteria of the polymer and the concentration profiles found by numerical modelling. This valuable results appeared as the first computational and experimental study dealing with the formation of polylactide (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation in a co-flow glass capillary device. The optimum formulations and parameters interactions involved in the preparation of paracetamol encapsulated nanoparticles (PCM-PCL NPs) using a co-flow microfluidic device was successfully simulated using a 25-full factorial design for five different parameters (i.e. PCL concentration, orifice size, flow rate ratios, surfactant concentration and paracetamol amount) with encapsulation efficiency and drug loading percentage as the responses. PCM-loaded composite NPs composed of a biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA) polymer matrix filled with organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles were also successfully formulated by antisolvent nanoprecipitation in a microfluidic co-flow glass capillary device. The incorporation of MMT in the polymer matrix improved the drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading, and extended the rate of drug release in simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4). The encapsulation of MMT and PCM in the NPs were well verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). PCL drug-carrier nanoparticles were also produced by rapid membrane micromixing combined with nanoprecipitation in a stirred cell employing novel membrane dispersion. The size of the NPs was precisely controlled by changing the aqueous-to-organic volumetric ratio, stirring rate, transmembrane flux, the polymer content in the organic phase, membrane type and pore morphologies. The particle size decreased by increasing the stirring rate and the aqueous-to-organic volumetric ratio, and by decreasing the polymer concentration in the aqueous phase and the transmembrane flux. The existence of the shear stress peak within a transitional radius and a rapid decline of the shear stress away from the membrane surface were revealed by numerical modelling. Further investigation on the PCL nanoparticles loaded immunosuppressive rapamycin (RAPA) drug were successfully synthesised by anti-solvent nanoprecipitation method using stainless steel (SS) ringed micro-engineered membrane. Less than 10 μm size of monohydrate piroxicam (PRX) micro-crystals also was successfully formed with the application of anti-solvent precipitation method combined with membrane dispersion cell that has been utilised in the formation of functional engineered nanoparticles. This study is believed to be a new insight into the development of integrated membrane crystallisation system.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-01T11:59:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) 3.pdf: 9217684 bytes, checksum: c6a2ecaa489f6ad864c3dd0909b2d127 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-21T14:39:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 3.pdf: 9217684 bytes, checksum: c6a2ecaa489f6ad864c3dd0909b2d127 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Tecnologia em Fármacos/Farmanguinhos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. / O efavirenz é um antirretroviral amplamente utilizado no tratamento de HIV, porém este fármaco encontra problemas de biodisponibilidade devido à sua baixa dissolução em meio aquoso. Nanocristais de fármaco são uma forma considerada segura de aumentar a dissolução sem promover uma alteração na molécula. Seu preparo pode ser feito por diferentes técnicas, uma delas é a nanocristalização por antissolvente. Que consiste na precipitação de fármaco a partir de uma fase orgânica, inserindo-a em uma fase aquosa, na qual o fármaco é pouco solúvel. Esta técnica é considerada promissora pois frente a outros tipos de método de preparo tem menor demanda energética, de tempo e custo. O uso de nanocristais preparados por esta técnica é uma alternativa promissora para alcançar o incremento da dissolução. No presente trabalho foram preparados nanocristais de efavirenz testando-se diferentes condições experimentais. Como resultado foram obtidas suspensões que foram levadas então a secagem. O pó obtido foi caracterizado por técnicas de espectroscopia de IV, para identificação da estrutura química; DRX para verificação da cristalinidade e MEV a fim de observar a morfologia das partículas formadas. Também foi realizado ensaio de dissolução por dispersão. Uma vez obtidos os perfis das amostras, foi possível comparar os resultados e realizar alterações necessárias a fim de otimizar uma formulação como alterações nas concentrações de estabilizantes, no grau de saturação do sistema, no método de agitação, dentre outras. Também foi realizado um estudo inicial acerca da estabilidade física das suspensões formadas utilizando técnicas de espalhamento de luz. Por fim, foram encontradas algumas formulações que promoveram grande incremento na dissolução, a que teve melhor desempenho combinava uso de precipitação seguida por moagem em moinho coloidal.A análise da suspensão mostrou controle eficaz do tamanho de partícula, no que diz respeito tanto ao tamanho em escala nanométrica quanto redução na polidispersão das partículas; foi visto por DRX que esta amostra manteve a mesma estrutura cristalina da matériaprima, no IV não foi revelada qualquer reação química entre EFV e estabilizantes. O ensaio de dissolução apresentou incremento significativo do perfil, atingindo 98% de eficiência de dissolução. / Efavirenz is an antiretroviral widely used in the treatment of HIV, but this drug has bioavailability problems due to their low dissolution in an aqueous medium. Drug nanocrystals are considered a safe way to enhance dissolution without causing a change in the molecule. They can be prepared by different techniques, one of which is nanocrystallization by antisolvent. It constitutes in drug precipitation from an organic phase by adding it in an aqueous phase, in which the drug is poorly soluble. This technique is considered promising when compared to other preparation methods due to low energy, time and cost required. The use of nanocrystals prepared by this technique is a promising alternative to achieve a dissolution enhancement. In the present work, we prepared efavirenz nanocrystals by testing different experimental conditions. The obtained suspensions were dried. The powder was characterized by IR spectroscopy techniques for identification of chemical structure, XRD for verifying the crystallinity and SEM in order to observe the morphology of the particles. The dissolution test by dispersion was also conducted. Once obtained the profiles of the samples, it was possible to compare the results and make necessary changes to optimize the formulations such as, changes in stabilizers concentrations, the degree of system saturation and the agitation method, among others. An initial study on the physical stability of the suspensions formed, using light scattering techniques was also carried out. Finally, we found some formulations that promoted large increase in dissolution profile. The one with the best performance combined precipitation followed by grinding in colloid mill. The suspension analysis exhibited effective control of particle size, as regards both the size at the nanometer scale as the reduction in the polydispersity of the particles; XRD showed that the sample maintained the same crystal structure of the raw material; the IV did not revealed any chemical reaction between EFV and stabilizers. The dissolution test presented large enhancement of the profile, reaching 98% dissolution efficiency.