*2.9. Morphology Study*

Scanning electron microscopy (S-8000; Hitachi High-Technologies Europe, Krefeld, Germany) was used to evaluate the morphology of the surface and cross-section of coating pellets. Samples were fitted on the copper sample holder with a double sided adhesive tape, sputter coated with a 10-nm thick gold layer under argon atmosphere.

### *2.10. The Pharmacokinetic Studies*
