Polymeric Microparticles for Oral Administration of Diclofenac Sodium

Abstract

Microparticles are an intensively studied field of pharmaceutical technology. Reduced side effects and new drug delivery methods are some of the advantages they offer. The aim of this study was to develop and optimize the preparation of Eudragit^® RS 100 microparticles containing diclofenac sodium. The emulsification - solvent evaporation method is one of the most common and widely used microencapsulation techniques. The influence of few selected processes and formulation variables on the microparticle characteristics was investigated for the emulsion of methanol in liquid paraffin. The following conditions were selected: polymer-to-drug ratio 2:1, emulsification with 1% Span^® 80 at 19000 rpm and 40 °C. The dissolution of the drug from microparticles was controlled by diffusion.