Fabrication of Orally Fast-Disintegrating Wafer Tablets Containing Cannabis Extract Using Freeze-Drying Method
Drug and Herbal Product Research and Development Center, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Medicinal Cannabis Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Industrial Pharmacy Program, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Sun Herb Thai Chinese Manufacturing, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Abstract
Introduction
The development of a novel dosage form for cannabis extract is necessary to improve drug delivery and also enhance patient convenience.
Methods
Orally fast-disintegrating wafer tablets containing cannabis extract, which were prepared using the freeze drying technique, were developed in this work. The formulation consisted of several key components: cannabis extract as the active compound, Tween® 80 as a surfactant and solubilizer, gelatin and mannitol as structural components, sucralose as a sweetening agent, and sodium methylparaben and sodium propylparaben as preservatives.
Results
The optimized formulation consists of the following ingredients: 5% cannabis extract, 1.25% Tween® 80, 5% gelatin, 88.34% mannitol, 0.2% sucralose, 0.19% sodium methylparaben, and 0.02% sodium propylparaben. The resulting wafer tablets exhibited the following characteristics: a porous structure, an average weight of approximately 200 mg, minimal weight variation (less than 1.4%), slightly acidic pH (pH 5.12), disintegration within 10 s, low moisture content (less than 3%), a Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol content of approximately 2.8 mg, and a cannabidiol content of approximately 0.9 mg. Additionally, the wafer tablets rapidly dissolved in simulated saliva fluid containing sodium lauryl sulfate.
Conclusion
This work succeeded in the fabrication of orally fast-disintegrating wafer tablets containing cannabis extract with desired properties.
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Keywords: Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Gelatin, Mannitol, Marijuana
Article notes
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Received 2023 Dec 8; Accepted 2024 Feb 16; Collection date 2024 Jan-Dec.
Introduction
Cannabis (marijuana) (Cannabis sativa L. subsp. indica) is a plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family. The presence of approximately 540 compounds has been reported in cannabis plants. Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) are the two most commonly used phytocannabinoids within the medicinal industry. Furthermore, more than 100 cannabinoids have been identified in cannabis plants [1]. The cannabinoids mimic endogenous cannabinoids by stimulating cannabinoid-1 and cannabinoid-2 receptors which are mostly found in the central nervous system and immune system, respectively. Cannabinoid receptors constitute a part of the endocannabinoid system that plays an important role in emotional regulation, memory, appetite, and pain [2]. Δ9-THC is a psychoactive compound. This compound can induce euphoria, analgesia, reduce nausea, vomiting, inflammation, and behave as an antioxidant. CBD is a nonpsychoactive compound and has the ability to modulate the effects of Δ9-THC. It possesses anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and anticonvulsive properties [2].
The oromucosal route can be used for the delivery of drugs locally and systemically. This route has many advantages, i.e., simple use, convenience, increased patient compliance, first-pass metabolism avoidance, low drug metabolism, avoidance of drug degradation via gastric digestion, and easy drug removal when side effect occurs. Various pharmaceutical dosage forms have been used via the oromucosal route such as oral sprays, oral strips, buccal films, and tablets. The most commonly found dosage form is orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) or fast-disintegrating tablets. This dosage form has several advantages, rapid disintegration, without chewing or drinking water, improves patient compliance due to easy and convenience [3, 4].
There are various methods used for the preparation of ODTs, i.e., compression, freeze drying (lyophilization), molding, mass extrusion, spray drying, and candy cotton process [5]. However, only two major methods are mostly used for the preparation of ODTs on an industrial scale – compression and freeze-drying methods. According to the compression method, superdisintegrants incorporated with moderate compression applied are usually used. In the case of the freeze-drying method, water is removed from the solution or suspension of the drug and structure forming an excipient mixture by sublimation. It is usually prepared as wafer tablets. This method gave the highly porous structure, resulting in it being rapidly disintegrated or dissolved compared with tablets prepared by the compression method [3]. However, this preparation method has some drawbacks such as being fragile, having a high cost of production, and being hygroscopic [6].
Previously, the authors had developed cannabis products in the form of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, available in both liquid [7] and solid [8] dosage forms, which were both administered orally. This current study expands upon their prior research efforts by introducing a novel cannabis dosage form referred to as orally fast-disintegrating wafer tablets. These tablets are prepared using the freeze-drying method and are intended for delivery through the oromucosal route.
Materials and Methods
Materials
Isolated Δ9-THC (purity 98.9%) and CBD (purity 97.4%) were obtained from the Medicinal Cannabis Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University. Tween® 80 was purchased from P.C. Drug Center Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. Gelatin (246 Bloom) and mannitol were purchased from Union Chemical 1986 Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. Sucralose was purchased from Chemipan Corporation Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. Sodium methylparaben and sodium propylparaben were purchased from Namsiang Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. The other chemicals and solvents used in this study were of AR or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) grades.
Preparation of Cannabis Extract
Seized cannabis bars which were obtained from the Narcotic Suppression Bureau of Thailand were pulverized using a grinder equipped with a 60-mesh sieve. Following this, 15 g of the resulting cannabis powder was placed into a 600-mL beaker, and 200 mL of ethanol was introduced. The mixture underwent a 30-min ultrasonication extraction process, followed by evaporation using a rotary evaporator (Büchi Labortechnik AG, Flawil, Switzerland). This step was repeated until a sufficient quantity of extract was achieved.
Cannabis extract emulsions were prepared by solvent injection and solvent evaporation methods. A 500 mg of cannabis extract was dissolved in 10 mL of ethyl acetate. Subsequently, this solution was injected into a 0.25% Tween® 80 aqueous solution (50 mL) using a 23 G needle. The injection process was carried out under high-speed homogenization (IKA Works (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand) at 10,000 rpm for a minute. Following this, the ethyl acetate was removed under vacuum using a rotary evaporator, resulting in the formation of cannabis extract emulsions.
Results and Discussion
Investigation of Solubilization Procedure of Cannabis Extract in Aqueous Solution
Initially, the authors investigated a procedure for solubilizing water-insoluble cannabis extract in an aqueous solution. The first method involved dissolving the cannabis extract in ethanol, which contained a solubilizing agent, including Tween® 80, propylene glycol, or sodium lauryl sulfate. An equal weight ratio of cannabis extract and solubilizing agent was then utilized. Water was then added to the resulting emulsion under high-speed homogenization, resulting in a homogeneous cannabis extract emulsion. However, upon the removal of ethanol which involved using rotary evaporation, the cannabis extract separated from the water, despite the presence of the solubilizing agent. This phenomenon was observed with all solubilizing agents.
The second method was investigated using solvent injection and solvent evaporation techniques. Cannabis extract, which was dissolved in ethyl acetate, was injected into various concentrations of Tween® 80 aqueous solutions (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1%) under high-speed homogenization. The critical micelle concentration of Tween® 80 reported in the literature varies from 0.014 g/L to 0.025 g/L, with specific values as follows: 0.0140 g/L [11], 0.0197 g/L [12], 0.0211–0.0248 g/L [13]. The authors noted that all of the concentrations of Tween® 80 which were used in the present study exceeded the critical micelle concentration, which ensured the formation of emulsions. All mixtures remained stable even after the removal of ethyl acetate (Fig. 1).
When stored at room temperature for 1 day, the cannabis extract emulsions, which were prepared using 1% Tween® 80, showed signs of instability with sedimentation, while those, which were prepared using 0.25% and 0.5% Tween® 80, remained more stable. However, sedimentation occurred in all of the concentrations when stored for 2 days. The authors observed that using 0.25% Tween® 80 resulted in a more stable system compared to 0.5% Tween® 80, which suggests that an increased concentration of Tween® 80 led to an unstable emulsion. The instability of the emulsion system which was observed, when a higher concentration of Tween® 80 is introduced may be attributed to the presence of olefin bonds in the surfactant’s alkyl chain of Tween® 80, which destabilizes the emulsion system [14]. Therefore, a lower Tween® 80 concentration of 0.25% was chosen for any further experiments. Although sedimentation was observed, it did not cause any drawbacks in the preparation of wafer tablets as long as the cannabis extract emulsions were not stored for 2 days.
Conclusions
This study successfully achieved its objective of fabricating and evaluating orally fast-disintegrating wafer tablets which contained cannabis extract using the freeze-drying technique. The wafer tablets were characterized by a porous structure, minimal weight variation, a slightly acidic pH level, rapid disintegration, low moisture content, and they also contained approximately 2.8 mg of Δ9-THC and 0.9 mg of CBD. The most promising aspect of this study was the rapid dissolution of these wafer tablets in simulated saliva fluid containing sodium lauryl sulfate, which is essential for effective drug delivery. Altogether, this research has successfully realized the development of orally fast-disintegrating wafer tablets containing cannabis extract, achieving the desired properties and offering potential avenues for enhanced drug delivery and patient convenience. Furthermore, an in vivo study and a clinical trial are required to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits.
Statement of Ethics
An ethics statement was not required for this study type, no human or animal subjects or materials were used. The authorization to conduct this research was obtained from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health in Thailand.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Funding Sources
We extend our sincere thanks to the Research Institute of Rangsit University for research funding (No. 99/2560).
Funding Statement
We extend our sincere thanks to the Research Institute of Rangsit University for research funding (No. 99/2560).
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
References
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Associated Data
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.