DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FLOATING 3D-PRINTED CAPSULES FOR IMMEDIATE AND SUSTAINED CAPTOPRIL DELIVERY
OMER MAHMOOD MUMTAZ 1,2*, AMJAD HUSSAIN 2, RABIA JAVAID 2, AIMAN MAHMOOD 1,2 , EESHA TARIQ BHATTY 2,3, SAIF ULLAH KHAN 1, MUHAMMAD ABUBAKAR ZUBAIR 4 , ANEEQA SALEEM 1, SARWAT NAZIR 1, AYESHA SAQIB 1, RIZWANA RAHEEL 1
1 Department of Pharmacy, Minhaj University Lahore, Pakistan
2 University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
3 Department of Pharmacy, Comsat University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
4 Riphah International University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Download Full Article PDF
Captopril, a BCS Class I drug, is widely used in the treatment of hypertension but faces challenges such as dose dumping and degradation in the intestinal environment. The present study aimed to develop 3D-printed floating capsules for both immedi- ate and sustained release of captopril to improve gastric retention and reduce dosing frequency. Using fused deposition mod- eling, two designs, a dome-shaped and a multicompartment FC, were fabricated and evaluated for weight, dimensions, buoy- ancy under dynamic conditions, structural integrity, and drug release at pH 1.2. Both devices remained intact with no leak- age. The dome-shaped FC showed a floating time of 5 h, while the multicompartment FC floated for 24 h. In vitro release studies demonstrated that the dome-shaped, Multicompartment FC released the drug at 390 or 480 min, compared with con- ventional gelatin capsules, which released the drug within 25 min. Thus, the 3D-printed systems exhibited gastroretentive and controlled-release properties. In conclusion, 3D-printed FCs enabled both immediate and sustained captopril release, with release performance influenced by wall thickness and compartmental design, highlighting their potential as advanced gas- troretentive drug delivery systems.
