Micellar systems and microemulsions are commonly for improving solubilization and dispersion of hydrophobic / poorly soluble drugs. Of critical importance during the drug development process is the ability to reliably and rapidly characterize these micellar/microemulsion systems: for their ability to disperse and then release the drug in the dissolution media; the consistency of the release profile; and potential changes to their properties following intake due to digestion using in-vitro models, in the presence of lipolytic enzymes.<br/>Commonly used analytical techniques like small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and NMR are powerful but which may be affected by the presence of aggregates or by the high viscosity of the solution; SAXS and SANS require a model for data treatment; and SANS requires a synchrotron which is not always easily accessible. In this context, Taylor dispersion Analysis (TDA) may be an interesting alternative.<br/>TDA is a simple and absolute method that determines the molecular diffusion coefficient and hydrodynamic radius of a wide variety of molecules (proteins, polymers, small molecules, nanoparticles…) having a size ranging between the Å and up to nearly 300 nm. It is based on the analysis of the band broadening of a solute plug in a laminar Poiseuille flow. The peak variance of the elution profile allows the quantification of the molecular diffusion coefficient.<br/>The aim of this presentation is share recent developments in the use of TDA for differentiating micellar (cationic, anionic, neutral and zwitterionic) systems and the radii for microemulsions; the choices of micellar marker and the influence the surfactant/marker concentrations in TDA; the experimental set up vis-à-vis other analytical methods; and the interpretation of the data from self-emulsifying drug delivery systems.

Size characterization of micelles and microemulsions by Taylor dispersion analysis

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.