Diet-induced
obesity and
hyperlipidemia are a growing public health concern leading to various metabolic disorders.
Capsaicin, a major bioactive compound obtained from natural chili peppers, has demonstrated its numerous beneficial roles in treating
obesity and
weight loss. Current treatment involves either administration of
antiobesity drugs or
surgical procedures such as
Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass or sleeve
gastrectomy, both of which are associated with serious side effects and poor patient acceptance.
Capsaicin, a pungent molecule, has low oral bioavailability. Therefore, there is a need for the development of site-specific drug delivery system for
capsaicin. The present study is aimed at preparing and characterizing 3D-printed
capsaicin-loaded rod-shaped implants by thermoplastic extrusion-based 3D printing technology. The implants were printed with
capsaicin-loaded into a biodegradable
polymer,
polycaprolactone, at different drug loadings and infill densities. The surface morphology revealed a smooth and uniform external surface without any
capsaicin crystals. DSC thermograms showed no significant changes/exothermic events among the blends suggesting no drug
polymer interactions. The in vitro release studies showed a biphasic release profile for
capsaicin, and the release was sustained for more than three months (~ 85% released) irrespective of drug loading and infill densities. The HPLC method was stability-indicating and showed good resolution for its analogs,
dihydrocapsaicin and
nordihydrocapsaicin. The implants were stable for three months at accelerated conditions (40°C) without any significant decrease in the assay of
capsaicin. Therefore,
capsaicin-loaded implants can serve as a long-acting
injectable formulation for targeting the adipose tissue region in obese patients.