ENHANCING SOLUBILITY AND DEVELOPING AN ITRACONAZOLE-BETA-CYCLODEXTRIN COMPLEX FOR ANTIFUNGAL THERAPY IN ORALLY DISINTEGRATING TABLETS

Objective: This study aimed to create an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation using an itraconazole (ITZ)-beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) complex to enhance itraconazole's solubility, a drug with limited solubility. β-CD was chosen for its compatibility with ITZ. Material and Method: The study prepared equimolar mixtures of ITZ and β-CD through kneading, assessing their solubility and dissolution rates. The inclusion complexes significantly increased ITZ's solubility. This complex was used to develop directly compressed ODTs with a lower ITZ content (25 mg), incorporating D-Mannitol as a bulking agent, sweetener, and to enhance mouthfeel, facilitating rapid disintegration and drug release. Result and Discussion: ODT formulations containing the ITZ-β-CD complex showed a significantly higher dissolution rate of ITZ compared to formulations with pure ITZ. This enhancement in dissolution is expected to significantly improve ITZ's bioavailability, suggesting a potential for reducing ITZ dosage and minimizing adverse effects.