FORMULATION APPROACHES TO ENHANCE DRUG SOLUBILITY-BRIEF OVERVIEW (original) (raw)

The solubility of drugs molecules remains one of the most challenging aspects in formulation development. With the advent of combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screening, the number of poorly water soluble compounds has increased solubility. A success of formulation depends on how efficiently it makes the drug available at the site of action. Therapeutic effectiveness of a drug depends upon the bioavailability and ultimately upon the solubility of drug molecules. Solubility is one of the important parameter to achieve desired concentration of drug in systemic circulation for pharmacological response to be shown. Solubility enhancement of various poorly soluble compounds is a challenging task for researchers and pharmaceutical scientists. On the basis of solubility, drugs are classified into four classes of the BCS classification. Solubility challenges are faced in the Class II and Class IV of the BCS system. To improve solubility and bioavailability of poorly soluble drug we use various technologies and formulation approaches. This review presents highlight information about the solubility significance, factors affecting solubility, and different formulation approaches used for the enhancement of the solubility of poorly soluble drugs including; pH-adjustment, co-solvents, surfactants, complex formation, lipidbased formulations, nano-suspensions and solid solution/dispersion technologies.