Marie Nevyhoštěná, Alena Komersová, Roman Svoboda, Vladimír Pejchal, Adéla Pospíšilová, Jan Muselík, Aleksandra Łapa, Paulina Koczurkiewicz-Adamczyk
The use of hot melt extrusion combined with fused deposition modeling 3D printing was explored to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble compounds intended for Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy. AD, a neurodegenerative disorder with no definitive treatment, affects millions worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for effective and personalized therapeutic strategies. Four sulfonamide-derived compounds, identified as potential AD therapeutics, were synthesized and successfully incorporated (loads between 10 and 50 wt.%) into customized, 3D-printed oral dosage forms. These 3D-printed tablets were evaluated for properties such as hardness, thermo-analytical characterization, dissolution, cytotoxicity, and stability. Notably, successful amorphization of the incorporated APIs was observed in most 3D-printed tablets, which may be critical for improving solubility. In vitro dissolution testing revealed multiple favorable release profiles, with several formulations demonstrating sustained or enhanced drug release suitable for the therapeutic requirements of AD. When compared to the dissolution data of the corresponding conventional matrix tablets, the present 3D-printed tablets offered superior or comparable dissolution characteristics, demonstrating the potential of personalized medicine and remote digital control for optimizing patient-specific treatments.