Abstract
Olmesartan medoxomil (OLM) is a selective angiotensin II receptor antagonist used in the treatment of hypertension. Its therapeutic potential is limited by its poor water solubility, leading to poor bioavailability. Encapsulation of the drug substance by two methylated cyclodextrins, namely randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (RM-β-CD) and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TM-β-CD), was carried out to overcome the limitation related to OLM solubility, which, in turn, is expected to result in an improved biopharmaceutical profile. Supramolecular entities were evaluated by means of thermoanalytical techniques (TG-thermogravimetry; DTG-derivative thermogravimetry), spectroscopic methods including powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), universal-attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (UATR-FTIR) and UV spectroscopy, saturation solubility studies, and by a theoretical approach using molecular modeling. The phase solubility method reveals an A(L)-type diagram for both inclusion complexes, indicating a stoichiometry ratio of 1:1. The values of the apparent stability constant indicate the higher stability of the host-guest system OLM/RM-β-CD. The physicochemical properties of the binary systems are different from those of the parent compounds, emphasizing the formation of inclusion complexes between the drug and CDs when the kneading method was used. The molecular encapsulation of OLM in RM-β-CD led to an increase in drug solubility, thus the supramolecular adduct can be the subject of further research to design a new pharmaceutical formulation containing OLM, with improved bioavailability.