PRE AND POST FORMULATION COMPATIBILITY STUDY OF DIACEREIN BASED ON ATR-FTIR STUDY FOR THE DESIGN OF TRANSFERSOMAL CARRIERS

The purpose of the study was to determine the compatibility of Diacerein (DCN) with various pharmaceutical excipients used in the formulation of ultra-deformable vesicles by using the thermo-analytical technique, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR). Assessment of possible incompatibility between the drug and different excipients is an important parameter of preformulation studies. Diacerein was approved by FDA in 2008 for the treatment of osteoarthritis due to its inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokine including IL-6 and IL-1β. FTIR study of mentioned physical mixtures did not show any evidence of interaction in their solid state. Based on these results, all the excipients were found to be compatible with DCN as no new peak was observed spectra so that they can be further used in the formulation of transfersomal vesicles. FTIR spectra of transfersomal formulation showed a significant reduction in the intensity of peaks, which indicates the formation of vesicles. Moreover, all major peaks of DCN were found to be smooth indicating a strong physical interaction between drug, lipid, and surfactant which leads to certain changes in the physical properties of a drug such as solubility.