Production of quercetin-nicotinamide cocrystals by gas antisolvent (GAS) process

Gas antisolvent (GAS), based on antisolvent feature of supercritical CO2, was unlikely explored to obtain cocrystals of quercetin/nicotinamide (QUE/NIC). Cocrystallization is an emerging technique to improve physicochemical properties of active compounds such as quercetin. QUE/NIC cocrystals were prepared by GAS with acetone as solvent, and the resulting products were characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). GAS produced QUE/NIC cocrystals had higher dissolution performance, at pH of 1.2 and 6.8, compared to raw QUE, providing QUE release at least 2-times higher than raw QUE. These results indicate that GAS-processed QUE/NIC cocrystal is a promising solid formulation to improve quercetin's dissolution and bioavailability, with potential use in food and pharmaceutical applications.