## 4 Conclusions  
In the present research, the solid dispersions (SDs) of GEF were prepared with SLS and TPGS by co-precipitation and solvent evaporation, followed by a freeze-drying technique. The SDs developed using TPGS (as a surfactant) and complexed with HP \(\beta\)-CD (F3) have shown remarkable improvement in the saturation solubility and dissolution efficiency of GEF than that of F1 (GEF-TPGS SDs), F2 (GEF-SLS SDs) and GEF pure. There were no GEF surfactants or carrier interaction in the prepared SDs, as confirmed by the FTIR and NMR spectral analysis. The results of micromerities depicted ideal flow properties for the developed formulations (F3 > F1 > F2). The results of DSC and SEM studies demonstrated that GEF was successfully converted into amorphous state, which could improve the performance of the drugs in the developed formulations. The MTT assay against A549 cells illustrated remarkable reduction in the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by the IC\({}_{50}\) values (2.239, 3.135 and 4.471 \(\upmu\)M for F3, F1 and GEF pure). The apoptosis was further supported by determining the p53, caspase-3 and caspase activities. The expressions of p53 were approximately 5.9-, 4.6- and 3.04-fold higher; for caspase-3, they were 5.38-, 3.78- and 3.01-fold higher and, for caspase-9, they were 5.35-, 3.76- and 2.47-fold higher in the case of F3-, F1- and GEF-pure-treated cells, respectively, as compared to untreated A549 cells. Conclusively, the developed TPGS SDs and their complexation with HP \(\beta\)-CD have improved physical characteristics, solubility, dissolution efficiency with short mean dissolution time and efficacy with successful apoptotic activity against A549 cells. The developed formulations can be a suitable alternative to the conventional formulations of GEF in treating non-small-cell lung cancers. Further, determining the in vivo efficacy of the developed SDs is warranted to check their actual pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in animal models. **Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app131910859/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app131910859/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app131910859/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app131910859/s1)). Figure S1. Dissolution test and release profile of GEF from different GEF-SDs in 0.1 N HCl as release medium (pH 1.2). The data were the mean and standard deviation (Mean \(\pm\) SD) of three measurements. Where (a) representing the drug release profile from SDs prepared with TPGS (Group-F1), (b) the drug release profile from SDs prepared with SLS (Group-2F) and (c) the drug release profile from GEF-SD complexed with HP \(\beta\)-CD (Group-F3). Table S1. The formulation of GEF-SDs with varying amounts of surfactants for optimization purpose. **Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, M.A.K. and A.K.A. ; Methodology, M.A.K., A.A.A., S.S.A., M.S.K. and A.K.A. ; Software, S.S.A. ; Validation, A.A.A., S.S.A., M.S.K. and A.K.A. ; Formal analysis, M.A.K., A.A.A., S.S.A. and A.K.A. ; Investigation, A.A.A., S.S.A., M.S.K. and A.K.A. ; Resources, A.K.A. and M.A. ; Data curation, M.A.K. and M.S.K. ; Writing--original draft, A.A.A. and M.S.K. ; Writing--review & editing, M.A.K. and M.A. ; Supervision, M.A.K. and M.A. ; Project administration, M.A.K. and M.A. ; Funding acquisition, M.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. **Funding:** This work was funded by the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2023R726), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. **Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not required. **Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable. **Data Availability Statement:** The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. **Acknowledgments:** The authors extend their appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2023R726), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.