Influence of drug polarity upon the solid-state structure and release properties of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems in relation with water affinity.

To overcome low oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have been noted as a promising strategy. However, incorporation of drugs into SEDDS composed of Gelucire44/14 could induce interactions not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of drug polarity upon the solid-state structure of SEDDS formulation, particularly in terms of wettability, thermal behaviour and microscopic aspects and their effect upon the release properties of the SEDDS. Model drugs were naproxen and sodium naproxen (10% w/w), two drugs with similar chemical structure but different water solubilities. Both drugs had an effect o…