Design of self-dispersible dry nanosuspension through wet milling and spray freeze-drying for poorly water-soluble drugs

The purpose of the present research is to establish a novel nanosizing technique starting from wet nano-milling, named "dry nanosuspension" technique for poorly water-soluble drugs. The spray freeze-drying (SFD) method was applied instead of the spray-drying one previously developed. Drug particles were milled in the aqueous solution of dispersing agents using an oscillating beads-milling apparatus. The milled nanosuspension was sprayed to the surface of liquid nitrogen, and the resultant iced droplets were freeze-dried to obtain the powdery product. The loading ratio of a dispersing agent was investigated to enhance its redispersing property. Dry nanosuspension, which could be spontaneously dispersed into original nanosuspension in water, was obtained by SFD process. It was assumed that self dispersion property would be attributed to its structure with porous network, in which the primary milled drug crystals were embedded. Such unique structure contributed greatly to immediate release behaviors of the drug in gastrointestinal buffered media. These pharmaceutical properties were enhanced by increasing the ratio of the dispersing agent to the drug and the solid content in suspension to be sprayed. The present technique via wet milling and spray freeze-drying processes would be a novel dissolution-enhanced technology for poorly water-soluble drugs.