%0 Journal Article
%T Drug Solubility: Importance and Enhancement Techniques
%A Ketan T. Savjani
%A Anuradha K. Gajjar
%A Jignasa K. Savjani
%J ISRN Pharmaceutics
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/195727
%X Solubility, the phenomenon of dissolution of solute in solvent to give a homogenous system, is one of the important parameters to achieve desired concentration of drug in systemic circulation for desired (anticipated) pharmacological response. Low aqueous solubility is the major problem encountered with formulation development of new chemical entities as well as for the generic development. More than 40% NCEs (new chemical entities) developed in pharmaceutical industry are practically insoluble in water. Solubility is a major challenge for formulation scientist. Any drug to be absorbed must be present in the form of solution at the site of absorption. Various techniques are used for the enhancement of the solubility of poorly soluble drugs which include physical and chemical modifications of drug and other methods like particle size reduction, crystal engineering, salt formation, solid dispersion, use of surfactant, complexation, and so forth. Selection of solubility improving method depends on drug property, site of absorption, and required dosage form characteristics. 1. Introduction Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. The solubility of a substance fundamentally depends on the solvent used as well as on temperature and pressure. The extent of solubility of a substance in a specific solvent is measured as the saturation concentration where adding more solute does not increase its concentration in the solution [1]. The solvent is generally a liquid, which can be a pure substance or a mixture of two liquids. One may also speak of solid solution, but rarely of solution in a gas. The extent of solubility ranges widely, from infinitely soluble (fully miscible) such as ethanol in water, to poorly soluble, such as silver chloride in water. The term insoluble is often applied to poorly or very poorly soluble compounds [2]. Solubility occurs under dynamic equilibrium, which means that solubility results from the simultaneous and opposing processes of dissolution and phase joining (e.g., precipitation of solids). Solubility equilibrium occurs when the two processes proceed at a constant rate. Under certain conditions equilibrium solubility may be exceeded to give a so-called supersaturated solution, which is metastable [3]. Solubility is not to be confused with the ability to dissolve or liquefy a substance, since these processes may occur not only because of dissolution but also because of a
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.pharmaceutics/2012/195727/