Enhancing dissolution of poorly water-soluble prednisolone <i>via</i> spray-dried arabinoxylan microspheres: a novel arabinoxylan-based drug delivery system

BACKGROUND: Prednisolone's poor aqueous solubility limits its oral bioavailability, necessitating the development of innovative formulation strategies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to extract AX from ispaghula husk and develop AX-based spray-dried microspheres to improve prednisolone dissolution. METHODS: ) analysis, were used to compare formulations. MAIN FINDINGS: Drug loading ranged from 3.7 to 15.63% w/w, with the highest values observed for F3 and F4. Entrapment efficiency increased with drug loading, ranging from 15.85% (F1) to 36.43% (F4), while product yield ranged from 52.4 to 63.1% w/w. NMR confirmed drug stability following spray drying. SEM revealed irregular, rough-surfaced microspheres and reduced drug particle size. FTIR demonstrated drug-polymer compatibility, and DSC indicated drug amorphization. Formulations F3 and F4 achieved >72% dissolution within 60 min, exceeding pure prednisolone (26.8%) and the commercial tablet (49.9%). Similarity factor analysis indicated that F1 was closest to the marketed product, whereas F3 and F4 exhibited superior dissolution rates. CONCLUSION: Spray-dried AX microspheres significantly enhanced prednisolone dissolution, highlighting AX as a biocompatible, scalable, and promising excipient for poorly water-soluble drugs.