Preparation, characterization, and evaluation of celecoxib eutectic mixtures with adipic acid/saccharin for improvement of wettability and dissolution rate

Celecoxib (CEL) is a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor therapeutically indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, acute pain, and inflammation. However, its poor solubility and dissolution rate significantly hinders its broader application. In this study, eutectic mixtures, as binary pharmaceutical compositions of CEL with adipic acid (ADI) and saccharin (SAC), were identified through a phase diagram and Tammann's triangle intended to improve the wettability and dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble CEL. The contact angles at 0s in the liquid-solid interface were approximately θs (theta) 79.7 ± 0.50° and 86.65 ± 0.45° for CEL-ADI and CEL-SAC, respectively, which were much lower than the value obtained for CEL (92.05 ± 0.75° θ). Moreover, a comparison of the disk intrinsic dissolution rate and powder dissolution properties demonstrated that eutectic mixtures significantly increased the dissolution rate compared with CEL and physical mixtures. A general relationship was elucidated and indicated that the dissolution rate was increased as the contact angle decreased (correlation coefficient, r = 0.9966 ± 0.0031). Therefore, CEL-ADI and CEL-SAC eutectics may offer a novel formulation strategy to enhance the solubility and oral bioavailability of CEL.