Enhancement of dissolution rate of poorly-soluble active ingredients by supercritical fluid processes

In this first of two articles, we discuss some issues surrounding the dissolution rate enhancement of poorly-soluble active ingredients micronized into nano-particles using several supercritical fluid particle design processes including rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS), supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) and particles from gas-saturated solutions/suspensions (PGSS). Experimental results confirm that dissolution rates do not only depend on the surface area and particle size of the processed powder, but are greatly affected by other physico-chemical characteristics such as crystal morphology and wettability that may reduce the benefit of micronization.