The combined effect of cyclodextrins (CDs) (beta-, methyl-beta-, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins) and water-soluble polymers (sodium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone K30, polyethylene glycol 6000) on naproxen solubility improvement was studied. Phase solubility analysis at 25 degrees C was used to investigate the interaction of the drug with each cyclodextrin (or polymer, alone or in the presence of the different water-soluble polymers (or cyclodextrins). The combined use of polymer and cyclodextrin was always clearly more effective in enhancing the aqueous solubility of naproxen in comparison with the corresponding drug-polymer or drug-cyclodextrin binary systems, and the solubilization enhancement was not simply additive, but synergistic. Water-soluble polymers increased the complexation efficacy of cyclodextrins toward naproxen (as shown by the increased stability constants of the complexes), which resulted in enhanced drug solubility. No previous sonication or heating treatments of the drug-cyclodextrin-polymer suspensions was necessary to obtain this favorable effect. The best results were obtained in ternary systems with beta-cyclodextrin, which had a solubilizing effect toward naproxen in the presence of 0.25% w/v of the different hydrophilic polymers examined that was improved from 25% to about 80%, depending on the type of polymer.