Hybrid Liquisolid Technique: A Novel Approach to Enhance the In-vitro Performance of Antidiabetic Drugs

Background: A combination of Glimepiride and Boswellia serrata extract reduces neuropathic diabetic complications by reducing the peroxidase level and improving the antioxidant level. The hybrid liquisolid method includes a combination of two methods, kneading and the liquisolid method, to enhance the drug’s in-vitro performance. Objective: The objective of this study was to enhance the in-vitro performance of antidiabetics drugs. Methods: Tablets involving a fixed-dose combination of Glimepiride and Boswellia serrata extract were formulated by kneading method followed by liquisolid method. Screening of non-volatile solvents, carriers, and coating materials was carried out. The experiment was designed to optimize the formulation and the obtained model was validated concerning the design of the experiment. 3 level 2 factorial (32) design was applied by using Design expert software 11. Various pre-compression parameters were assessed to check the quality of the formulation. Results: Screening of excipients for kneading method, including Glimepiride with PVP K 30 (5%), and Boswellia serrata extract with Poloxamer 188 (13%), provided optimum drug release. For the liquisolid method, propylene glycol:PEG 400: Tween 80 (1:2:4) ratio for Glimepiride and PEG 400: Tween 80 (1:3) ratio for Boswellia serrata extract were selected. Common carrier and coating material for both drugs were selected to improve the in-vitro performance of the drug. Conclusion: This study enables an overall understanding of the impact of excipients on the quality of formulation, which may provide critical knowledge for the implementation of liquisolid systems.