Facile Preparation of Danazol Nanoparticles by High-Gravity Anti-solvent Precipitation (HGAP) Method

The nanoparticles of the hydrophobic drug of danazol with narrow size distribution are facilely prepared by controlled high-gravity anti-solvent precipitation (HGAP) process. Intensified micromixing and uniform nucleation environment are created by the high-gravity equipment (rotating packed bed) in carrying out the anti-solvent precipitation process to produce nanoparticles. The average particle size decreases from 55 μm of the raw danazol to 190 nm of the nanoparticles. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area sharply increases from 0.66 m2·g−1 to 15.08 m2·g−1. Accordingly, the dissolution rate is greatly improved. The molecular state, chemical composition, and crystal form of the danazol nanoparticles remains unchanged after processing according to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The high recovery ratio and continuous production capacity are highly appreciated in industry. Therefore, the HGAP method might offer a general and facile platform for mass production of hydrophobic pharmaceutical danazol particles in nanometer range.