Question

What is the principle behind the use of surfactants?

(a) Reducing the size of solid drug particles

(b) Enhancing the dissolution rate by promoting wetting

(c) Improving solubility

(d) Alter the pH of the microenvironment

This question was posed to me in an interview.

My question comes from Bioavailability in portion Compartment Modelling, Non Linear Pharmacokinetics, Bioavailability and Bioequivalence of Drug Biotechnology

Answer 1

Correct choice is (b) Enhancing the dissolution rate by promoting wetting

To explain I would say: Surfactants enhance the dissolution rate by promoting wetting and penetration of dissolution fluid into the solid drug particles. These surfactants are used in a concentration below the critical micellar concentration since above CMC the trapped drug in the micelle structure fails to partition in the dissolution fluid.