Encapsulation of Ibuprofen by Pickering-Stabilized Antibubbles

Ibuprofen, one of the most widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is a poor-tasting and poorly soluble drug. As an alternative approach to overcome these issues, ibuprofen was encapsulated in Pickering antibubbles using two different oils, cyclomethicone and cyclooctane, as processing aids. The amount of the loaded active agent was determined by thermogravimetry (TG), while the analysis of the evolved gases, performed by online coupling of the heating device to an infrared and a mass spectrometer (EGA-FTIR-MS), allowed for describing the drug decomposition mechanism. Although the dissolution profile and zeta potential values were found to be independent of the preparation method, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and Raman microscopy confirmed the occurrence of a slight amorphization of the drug inside the antibubbles. The reported results suggest that this relatively simple encapsulation technique might be an alternative for ibuprofen taste masking and targeted delivery.