Enhanced Drug Loading Capacity Using the Dual Metformine–Dexketoprofren Salt on Nanoapatite Materials

Both apatite nanoparticles and multicomponent pharmaceutical materials have proved the ability to significantly improve the bioavailability of different drugs using different strategies. Herein, the use of nanoapatite is proposed as a promising vehicle for advanced drug delivery of multicomponent pharmaceutical materials. To this purpose, the full synthesis and comprehensive characterization of apatite nanoparticles and the molecular pharmaceutical salt metformin-dexketoprofen are reported, paying special attention to the improvements regarding solubility and stability of the novel materials compared to the parent active pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as the drug loading capacity enhancement achieved in nanoapatites. Our results evidence the potential of the presented novel strategy, enhancing the dexketoprofen-loading a remarkable 50-fold when compared to native drug, thanks to the improvement of solubility achieved via salt-formation (567 and 168 mg/mL at pH 6.8 and 1.2, respectively), thus expecting improved therapeutic outcomes.