Flurbiprofen-Loaded Solid SNEDDS Preconcentrate for the Enhanced Solubility, In-Vitro Dissolution and Bioavailability...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Materials Science

Background:

• Flurbiprofen (FL) is a water-insoluble non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with poor oral bioavailability.
• Developing effective drug delivery systems is crucial for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of poorly soluble drugs like FL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and optimize a solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system pre-concentrate (SSP) for flurbiprofen (FL).
• To evaluate the physicochemical properties, in vitro dissolution, and oral pharmacokinetics of the developed SSP.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a pseudo-ternary phase diagram using FL, Kollisolv MCT 70 (oil), and TPGS (surfactant).
• Characterization of SSP using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), particle size analysis, in vitro dissolution, and oral pharmacokinetic studies in rats.

Main Results:

• The optimized SSP formulation (FL/Kollisolv MCT 70/TPGS = 10/10/80 wt%) exhibited a melting point of 32.37 °C and a mean particle size below 30 nm.
• SSP demonstrated rapid in vitro drug release (95.70% at 15 min) compared to raw FL (6.75%).
• Oral administration of SSP resulted in a 1.93-fold increase in AUC(infinite) compared to raw FL suspension.

Conclusions:

• The developed solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system pre-concentrate (SSP) is a promising platform for enhancing the solubilization, dissolution, and oral bioavailability of flurbiprofen.
• This approach offers a viable strategy for improving the delivery of other poorly soluble drugs.