Design of mirtazapine solid dispersion with different carriers’ systems: optimization, in vitro evaluation, and bioavailability assessment

The solid dispersion technique is the most effective and widely used approach for increasing the solubility and release of drugs that have low water solubility. Mirtazapine (MRT) is an atypical antidepressant used to treat severe depression. MRT has a low oral bioavailability (about 50%) due to its low water solubility (BCS class II). The study’s goal was to determine optimum conditions for incorporating MRT into various polymer types utilizing the solid dispersion (SD) technique, with the goal of selecting the most suitable formula with the optimal aqueous solubility, loading efficiency, and dissolution rate. The D-optimal design was used to pick the optimal response. The optimum formula was subjected to physicochemical evaluation by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In vivo bioavailability study was conducted on white rabbits’ plasma samples. MRT-SDs were prepared by the solvent evaporation method using Eudragit (RL-100, RS-100, E-100, L-100–55), PVP K-30, and PEG 4000 with different drug/polymer percentages (33.33%, 49.99%, and 66.66%). Results showed that the optimum formula obtained using PVP K-30 at a drug percentage of 33.33% gave a loading efficiency of 100.93%, an aqueous solubility of 0.145 mg/ml, and a dissolution rate of 98.12% after 30 min. These findings demonstrated promising enhancement of MRT properties and increasing its oral bioavailability by 1.34-fold more than plain drug. Graphical Abstract