Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmaceutics

Hydatid disease is one of the most important helminthic diseases worldwide. Following oral ingestion of echinococcus granulosus eggs, cysts may develop in many anatomic sites as liver, lungs, kidneys. Albendazole (ABZ), methyl[ 5-(propylthio)-1-H-benzimidazol-2yl] carbamate, is a benzimidazol derivative with a broad spectrum of activity against human and animal helminth parasites. ABZ is a poorly water soluble drug, consequently it is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and it has low oral bioavailability. This property is the major disadvantage for the use of ABZ in the treatment of systemic helminthiasis. Furthermore, the lack of solubility reduces the flexibility for ABZ formulation and administration. Solid dispersions (SDs) are one of the most successful strategies to improve drug dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs. SDs are molecular mixtures of poorly water soluble drugs in hydrophilic carriers, which present a drug release profile that is driven by the polymer properties. The approach in this thesis was centered on utilizing different water-soluble polymers as: {polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, 6000, 8000, polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropyl-Ý-cyclodextrin (HPÝCD), poloxamer (PXR) 188 and 407, with drug: polymer ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:4) by the solvent evaporation solid dispersion as well as the spray drying techniques to improve dissolution rate of albendazole (ABZ). The best prepared formulae were pharmacokinetically studied for their bioavailability. The work in this thesis was divided into two chapters

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