Spray-dried microparticles of glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione based on Eudragit® FS 30D polymer

International audienceObjective.-In recent years, S-nitrosoglutathione has been proposed for the treatment of Crohn's disease to prevent mucosal barrier failure. In this paper, we report the formulation of spray dried microparticles of glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione based on Eudragit ® FS 30D polymer (i.e. colon-specific delivery system). Material and methods.-The influence of several spray-drying parameters (inlet temperature 80-150 • C, solvent flow 5-10 mL/min) was studied. The parameters that yielded the best formulations (inlet temperature 120 • C, outlet temperature 47 • C, solvent flow 5 mL/min and air flow 100%) were selected for further studies. Results.-Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the resulting microparticles were spherical in shape. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns of pure GSH and GSNO showed sharp peaks that were not present in the microparticles, confirming a molecular dispersion of the drugs by the polymer. The stability of the drugs in the microparticles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Release studies in phosphate buffer solutions showed fast releas