Preparation and characterization of hot-melt extruded polycaprolactone-based filaments intended for 3D-printing of tablets

Hot-melt extruded (HME) filaments are an essential intermediate product for the three- dimensional (3D) printing of drug delivery systems (DDSs) by the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process. The aim of this study was to design novel polymeric 3D-printable HME filaments loaded with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The physical solid-state properties, mechanical properties, drug release and short-term storage stability of the filaments and 3D-printed DDSs were studied. Physical powder mixtures of polycaprolactone (PCL), plasticizer and API were manually blended, extruded by a single-screw extruder, and printed by a table-top FDM 3D-printing system. The composition of PCL and arabic gum (ARA) enabled the incorporation of 20%, 30% and 40% (w/w) of indomethacin (IND) and theophylline (THEO) into the HME filaments. The uneven distribution of API throughout the filaments impaired 3D printing. The HME filaments loaded with 20% IND or THEO were selected for the further analysis and printing tests (the ratio of PCL, ARA and IND or THEO was 7:1:2, respectively). The IND filaments were yellowish, mechanically strong and flexible, and they had a uniform filament diameter and smooth outer surface. The filaments containing THEO were smooth and off-white. The 3D-printed tablets fabricated from IND or THEO-loaded filaments showed sustained drug release in vitro. The drug release rate, however, significantly increased by changing the geometry of 3D-printed tablets from a conventional tablet structure to an unorthodox lattice (“honeycomb”) structure. Overall, the combination of PCL and ARA provides an interesting novel polymeric carrier system for 3D-printable HME filaments and tablets.