Preparation and evaluation of granules with pH-dependent release by melt granulation.

This study had two objectives: (1) to prepare, by melt granulation in a high-shear mixer, granules containing acetaminophen (APAP) as a model drug and aminoalkyl methacrylate copolymer E (AMCE) as a pH-sensitive polymer that readily dissolves at pH values lower than 5, and (2) to investigate the effects of AMCE loading (5-15%) on granule properties and the in vitro release profile of drug from the granules. Compared with polymer-free granules, the granules containing 5% and 10% AMCE were found to have higher median diameters and wider particle size distributions. For the formulation containing 15% AMCE, on the other hand, the diameters and distribution were similar to those for polymer-free granules. From compression testing, load-displacement curves revealed that AMCE enhanced particle strength at ambient temperature and induced plastic strain, while suppressing fragmentation of the granules. In addition, from dissolution testing using media with pH 4.0 and pH 6.5, granules containing AMCE, except 15% AMCE loading, exhibited drug release with significant pH dependence. When the pH 4.0 and pH 6.5 dissolution profiles were further compared by calculating the difference factor (f(1)), the 5% AMCE granules showed the strongest pH dependence of drug release among all formulations in this study. Large cracks and breakage were observed on the surface of 10% AMCE granules after they were used in dissolution testing. The obtained results are attributed to the plastic strain properties of AMCE above its glass transition temperature, and to the irregular distribution of AMCE within granules. Hence, this study has demonstrated for the first time that the combination of melt granulation and AMCE incorporation enables the formulation of novel functional granules that exhibit pH-dependent release of the active ingredient.