Fabrication of suppository shells via hot-melt extrusion paired with fused deposition modeling 3D printing techniques

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a potential technique for developing personalized medicines. Among its applications, mold manufacturing in industrial 3D printing stands out, especially for creating complex structures. This capability has been innovatively extended to drug development. Our study employed fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers to fabricate molds for suppository shells using acetaminophen (APAP), as the model drug, and PVA, PLA, and HPMC HME 15LV as the primary materials. This study was segmented into three stages. Evaluating the influence of suppository shell pore sizes on drug release Distinguishing among different suppository materials Formulating a new type of suppository with a drug-containing shell Our findings demonstrated the ideal pore size (2 mm) for the suppository shell. Furthermore, the release rates varied across the polymers, rank-ordered as PVA > PLA > HPMC HME 15LV. Analyses via powder X-ray diffractometry and differential scanning calorimetry showed that the drug-loaded suppository shells, developed using hot-melt extrusion (HME) and FDM, were amorphous. In contrast, the suppository formulated through fusion revealed some drugs in crystalline state. This study demonstrated the successful and innovative fabrication of suppository shells via HME paired with FDM 3D printing, which can be utilized for personalized medicine.