A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals

An enteric coating plays a crucial role in preventing the disintegration of pharmaceutical dosage forms in the stomach. This is particularly important for drugs unstable at an acidic pH or designed to act in the small intestine. While conventional synthetic polymers have been widely used for enteric...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Enas Bshena, Abdalrahem Shtawa, Sarra Takita, Magdi Mussa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Chemistry Proceedings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4583/16/1/6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849433770480893952
author Enas Bshena
Abdalrahem Shtawa
Sarra Takita
Magdi Mussa
author_facet Enas Bshena
Abdalrahem Shtawa
Sarra Takita
Magdi Mussa
author_sort Enas Bshena
collection DOAJ
description An enteric coating plays a crucial role in preventing the disintegration of pharmaceutical dosage forms in the stomach. This is particularly important for drugs unstable at an acidic pH or designed to act in the small intestine. While conventional synthetic polymers have been widely used for enteric coatings, there is growing interest in exploring naturally derived proteins as an alternative. This study focused on two natural polymers: soy protein and whey protein isolates, first by determining the gastro-resistance properties of films prepared from these proteins. Then, appropriate casting solutions were developed to create polymeric films, and their resistance to acidic pH was evaluated using disintegration tests. Second, crate drug pellets coated with the most effective protein-based film were previously prepared, and their performance was assessed using the USP apparatus I (basket). The results demonstrated that the coated pellets (SA and SAG) exhibited excellent gastro-resistance properties. Specifically, the percentage release of the coated pellets met the USP criteria: less than 10% release in the first 2 h under acidic conditions, followed by at least 80% release within 45 min in the buffer phase. In contrast, uncoated pellets showed immediate release, with over 69% of the dye released during the initial 2 h. Notably, the SA and SAG-coated pellets demonstrated remarkable resistance to acidic pH, releasing only 1% and approximately 2% of the dye faster than uncoated pellets. These findings highlight the potential of SA and SAG coating films for efficient delayed release or enteric coating applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-25a70c22cd9c4dd68c8a532f1f1bc61d
institution Kabale University
issn 2673-4583
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Chemistry Proceedings
spelling doaj-art-25a70c22cd9c4dd68c8a532f1f1bc61d2025-08-20T03:26:55ZengMDPI AGChemistry Proceedings2673-45832024-11-01161610.3390/ecsoc-28-20156A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release PharmaceuticalsEnas Bshena0Abdalrahem Shtawa1Sarra Takita2Magdi Mussa3Medical Research Center Zawia, Libyan Authority for Scientific Research, Zawia P.O. Box 80045, LibyaNorth Africa International Center for Research on Serums, Vaccines and Genetic Diseases, Libyan Authority for Scientific Research, Zawia P.O. Box 80045, LibyaMaterials and Engineering Research Institute MERI, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKMaterials and Engineering Research Institute MERI, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKAn enteric coating plays a crucial role in preventing the disintegration of pharmaceutical dosage forms in the stomach. This is particularly important for drugs unstable at an acidic pH or designed to act in the small intestine. While conventional synthetic polymers have been widely used for enteric coatings, there is growing interest in exploring naturally derived proteins as an alternative. This study focused on two natural polymers: soy protein and whey protein isolates, first by determining the gastro-resistance properties of films prepared from these proteins. Then, appropriate casting solutions were developed to create polymeric films, and their resistance to acidic pH was evaluated using disintegration tests. Second, crate drug pellets coated with the most effective protein-based film were previously prepared, and their performance was assessed using the USP apparatus I (basket). The results demonstrated that the coated pellets (SA and SAG) exhibited excellent gastro-resistance properties. Specifically, the percentage release of the coated pellets met the USP criteria: less than 10% release in the first 2 h under acidic conditions, followed by at least 80% release within 45 min in the buffer phase. In contrast, uncoated pellets showed immediate release, with over 69% of the dye released during the initial 2 h. Notably, the SA and SAG-coated pellets demonstrated remarkable resistance to acidic pH, releasing only 1% and approximately 2% of the dye faster than uncoated pellets. These findings highlight the potential of SA and SAG coating films for efficient delayed release or enteric coating applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4583/16/1/6biodegradable materialsblended proteindelayed releaseenteric coatingdissolution
spellingShingle Enas Bshena
Abdalrahem Shtawa
Sarra Takita
Magdi Mussa
A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
Chemistry Proceedings
biodegradable materials
blended protein
delayed release
enteric coating
dissolution
title A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
title_full A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
title_fullStr A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
title_full_unstemmed A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
title_short A Case Study on Utilising Soy and Whey Protein Polymers: Advances in Enteric Coatings for Improved Delayed-Release Pharmaceuticals
title_sort case study on utilising soy and whey protein polymers advances in enteric coatings for improved delayed release pharmaceuticals
topic biodegradable materials
blended protein
delayed release
enteric coating
dissolution
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4583/16/1/6
work_keys_str_mv AT enasbshena acasestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT abdalrahemshtawa acasestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT sarratakita acasestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT magdimussa acasestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT enasbshena casestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT abdalrahemshtawa casestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT sarratakita casestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals
AT magdimussa casestudyonutilisingsoyandwheyproteinpolymersadvancesinentericcoatingsforimproveddelayedreleasepharmaceuticals