Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42768180›Full record

ArticleAAPS PharmSciTech2026

Beyond Immediate Release: FDM-Printed Pediatric 6-Mercaptopurine Chewable Tablets with Spontaneous In Situ Nanostructure Formation.

Gabriel S Oliveira, Ana Luiza Lima, Pedro Granados Muñoz, Idejan P Gross, Livia Sa-Barreto, Patrícia Medeiros-Souza, Tais Gratieri, Guilherme M Gelfuso, Marcilio Cunha-Filho

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in AAPS PharmSciTech, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Gabriel S OliveiraLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-7175-164X
Ana Luiza LimaLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2177-8941
Pedro Granados MuñozLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9787-7076
Idejan P GrossLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1798-7927
Livia Sa-BarretoFaculty of Ceilandia, University of Brasilia (UnB), Brasília, DF, 72220-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8197-4349
Patrícia Medeiros-SouzaSchool of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia (UnB), Brasília, DF, 72220-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4022-9187
Tais GratieriLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6481-2364
Guilherme M GelfusoLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1924-7885
Marcilio Cunha-FilhoLaboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil. marciliofarm@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9167-6852

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pediatric maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia requires prolonged daily administration of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), a drug characterized by a narrow therapeutic index and substantial interindividual variability, creating a need for flexible and patient-friendly dosage forms. This study aimed to develop pediatric chewable tablets 6-MP using hot-melt extrusion and fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing. Preformulation studies and rheological characterization were performed to support formulation development. The influence of internal architecture on porosity, disintegration, mechanical properties, and chewability was investigated by varying infill density. Among the evaluated architectures, 30% infill provided the best balance between structural integrity, porosity, rapid disintegration, and softening after saliva exposure, ensuring adequate chewability. Tablets exhibited accurate drug content (99.5 ± 2.2%). Beyond their immediate-release behavior, complete drug release was achieved within 15 min, while colloidal nanostructures were spontaneously formed, associating approximately 11% of dissolved 6-MP, suggesting a hybrid release mechanism combining rapid drug availability with nano-mediated modulation. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy confirmed these findings. Overall, the developed platform demonstrates the potential of FDM-based structural engineering to produce personalized pediatric medicines and reveals that thermally processed polymeric matrices may function as dynamic drug delivery systems rather than conventional immediate-release dosage forms.

Indexed as

MercaptopurineNanostructuresTabletsChemistry, PharmaceuticalDrug CompoundingDrug LiberationHumansPorosityPrinting, Three-DimensionalSolubilityMercaptopurineTablets6-mercaptopurinechewable tabletsfused deposition modelinghot-melt extrusionin situ nanostructurespediatric formulation

Identifiers

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.