ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Microfluidic precipitation of Fenofibrate for dissolution enhancement and In-Vitro release study: an OFAT followed by RSM approach

Rashmita Behera and Sanjaykumar R. Patel

Department of Chemical Engineering, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, India

E-mail: srpatel079@gmail.com

Received: 18 July 2025  Accepted: 5 September 2025

Abstract:

Current research focuses on the antisolvent precipitation of Fenofibrate via microfluidics for dissolution enhancement and In-Vitro release study. Microfluidic system as a process intensification was customized based on the molecular diffusivity, mixing mechanism of the organic-aqueous phases, Fourier number, and Dean number. A 3D-printed T-micromixer (contact angle of micromixer 180°), followed by a meander-shaped silicon tube microchannel, was taken for the microfluidic mixing. One factor at a time, followed by response surface methodology, was applied for the parametric and optimization studies respectively. The effect of parameters: microchannel length, drug concentration, carrier-drug ratio, and aqueous organic phase ratio on the particle size were studied. Particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, fourier-transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction were analyzed for raw and optimized Fenofibrate formulation. The In-Vitro release of optimized Fenofibrate formulation resulted in 99.88% release in 5.5 h. The release followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model with a transport constant (k_KP) of 53.83 (time⁻¹) and transport exponent (n) of 0.35, satisfying a diffusion dissolution-dependent model.

Keywords: Microfluidics mixing; Precipitation; Particle size; Dissolution; Optimization

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04371-3

Chemical Papers 79 (12) 9075–9088 (2025)