Voriconazole Eye Drops: Enhanced Solubility and Stability through Ternary Voriconazole/Sulfobutyl Ether β-Cyclodextrin/Polyvinyl Alcohol Complexes

  • Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 25;24(3):2343. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032343.
Hay Man Saung Hnin Soe  1 ,  Khanittha Kerdpol  2 ,  Thanyada Rungrotmongkol  2  3 ,  Patamaporn Pruksakorn  4 ,  Rinrapas Autthateinchai  4 ,  Sirawit Wet-Osot  4 ,  Thorsteinn Loftsson  5 ,  Phatsawee Jansook  1
Affiliations
  • 1. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
  • 2. Center of Excellence in Biocatalyst and Sustainable Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
  • 3. Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
  • 4. Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Tiwanon Road, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand.
  • 5. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iceland, Hofsvallagata 53, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland.
PMID: 36768671 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032343
Abstract

Voriconazole (VCZ) is a broad-spectrum Antifungal agent used to treat ocular Fungal keratitis. However, VCZ has low aqueous solubility and chemical instability in aqueous solutions. This study aimed to develop VCZ eye drop formulations using cyclodextrin (CD) and water-soluble Polymers, forming CD complex aggregates to improve the aqueous solubility and chemical stability of VCZ. The VCZ solubility was greatly enhanced using sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBEβCD). The addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) showed a synergistic effect on VCZ/SBEβCD solubilization and a stabilization effect on the VCZ/SBEβCD complex. The formation of binary VCZ/SBEβCD and ternary VCZ/SBEβCD/PVA complexes was confirmed by spectroscopic techniques and in silico studies. The 0.5% w/v VCZ eye drop formulations were developed consisting of 6% w/v SBEβCD and different types and concentrations of PVA. The VCZ/SBEβCD systems containing high-molecular-weight PVA prepared under freeze-thaw conditions (PVA-H hydrogel) provided high mucoadhesion, sustained release, good ex vivo permeability through the porcine cornea and no sign of irritation. Additionally, PVA-H hydrogel was effective against the filamentous fungi tested. The stability study revealed that our VCZ eye drops provide a shelf-life of more than 2.5 years at room temperature, while a shelf-life of only 3.5 months was observed for the extemporaneous Vfend® eye drops.

Keywords
cyclodextrin; eye drops; solubility; stability; ternary complex; voriconazole.
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