Influence of selected water soluble carbohydrates on the dissolution profile of prednisolone

Abstract The utilization of three water soluble carbohydrates as carrier to improve the dissolution rate of prednisolone was studied. Coprecipitates and physical mixtures of the drug and the carriers in three different proportions were prepared and their dissolution profile was compared with the dissolution profile of the pure drug. The remarkably fast and erratic dissolution of prenisolone observed from the coprecipitates was possible due to the conversion of prednisolone into its metastable or amorphous form durning the coprecipitation process. The dissolution rate of the drug from the physical mixtures was much higher than from the pure drug itself. Effect of aging of the coprecipitate on the dissolution profile showed an increasing tendency of the dissolution curve to match with that of the corresponding physical mixture.