The solubility of a solute is the maximum quantity of solute that can dissolve in a certain quantity of solvent or quantity of solution at a specified temperature. Solubility is one of the important parameter to achieve desired concentration of drug in systemic circulation for pharmacological response to be shown. Solubility is essential for the therapeutic effectiveness of the drug, independent of the route of administration. Low aqueous solubility is the major problem encountered with formulation development of new chemical entities as well as for the generic development. Poorly soluble drugs are often a challenging task for formulators in the industry Conventional approaches for enhancement of solubility have limited applicability, especially when the drugs are poorly soluble simultaneously in aqueous and in non-aqueous media. Drug with poor water solubility cause slow dissolution rates, generally show erratic and incomplete absorption leading to low bioavailability when administered orally. Solubilization may be affected by cosolvent water interaction, micellar solubilization, reduction in particle size, inclusion complexes, solid dispersion, and change in polymorph. Some new technologies are also available to increase the solubility like micro emulsion, self-emulsifying drug delivery system and supercritical fluid technology. This present review details about the different approaches used for the enhancement of the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs include particle size reduction, nanonization, pH adjustment, solid dispersion, complexation, co‐solvency, hydrotropy etc. The purpose of this article is to describe the techniques of solubilization for the attainment of effective absorption and improved bioavailability.
Keywords: Solubility, Solubility Enhancement, bioavailability, solid dispersion, Solid Dispersion, Solubilization.