Inclusion complex of cantharidin with β‐cyclodextrin: Preparation,characterization, in vitro and in vivo evaluation

Because of low aqueous solubility and slow dissolution rate, cantharidin has a low oral bioavailability. Our research aims to prepare the inclusion complex of cantharidin and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and accomplish characterization, in vitro and in vivo evaluation. CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex was prepared by saturated solution method. The CA was demonstrated by HPLC in vitro experiment and by GC‐MS in vivo experiment. CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Through complexation with β‐CD, the solubility of CA in neutral aqueous solution was improved significantly. CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex also shows a significantly improved dissolution rate in comparison with free CA. Comparison of the pharmacokinetics between CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex and free CA was performed in rats. The in vivo results show that CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex has earlier t_max, higher C_max, and higher bioavailability than free CA after oral dosing. By comparing the AUC_0–t of CA and CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex, the relative bioavailability of CA‐β‐CD inclusion complex to free CA was 506.3%, which highlighted the evidence of significantly improved bioavailability of formulation of CA with β‐CD. Thus, this β‐CD‐based drug delivery system should be an effective oral dosage form to improve oral bioavailability of CA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012