Improvement of the wettability and dissolution of fenofibrate compacts by plasma treatment

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of plasma treatment on the wettability and dissolution of fenofibrate compacts. Contact angle measurements and intrinsic dissolution rate studies of untreated and plasma-treated fenofibrate compacts were conducted. The contact angle data clearly show that the wettability of the tablet surface increased with the duration of plasma treatment. Analyses of stability revealed that the surfaces which were plasma-treated for more than 1min regained some degree of hydrophobicity after storage in air. Since their hydrophobic recovery finally reached the level observed with 1min plasma-treated fenofibrate compacts it was deduced that permanent incorporation of hydrophilic groups had already attained saturation upon plasma irradiation for 1min. Dissolution studies revealed the advantages of the hydrophilized surface of plasma-treated fenofibrate compacts. Due to the improved wettability of plasma-treated fenofibrate its intrinsic dissolution rate was vastly increased compared to untreated fenofibrate. This study thus demonstrates the potential of plasma treatment to enhance the wettability and dissolution behavior of poorly water-soluble drugs.