Phenytoin-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules improve the technological properties and in vivo performance of fluidised bed granules

Abstract Lipid-core nanocapsules (LNCs) were recently reported by our group as a suitable binder system to produce fluidised bed granules. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the influence of using these nanocarriers loaded with a drug on the properties of the granules and their in vivo performance. Therefore, this study was designed to produce innovative fluidised bed granules containing phenytoin-loaded LNCs (LNCPHT) as a strategy to evaluate the influence of the presence of the drug-loaded nanocarriers on their in vitro and in vivo properties. Granules were produced using a mixture of maltodextrin and phenytoin (1:0.004 w/w) as substrate. They were prepared by fluid bed granulation using water or LNCPHT as the liquid binder, affording good yields (73–82%) of granules with low moisture content (