Thymoquinone-loaded self-nano-emulsifying drug delivery system against ischemia/reperfusion injury

In the present study, a self-nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was developed to evaluate the efficiency of thymoquinone (TQ) in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion. SNEDDS was pharmaceutically characterized to evaluate droplet size, morphology, zeta potential, thermodynamic stability, and dissolution/diffusion capacity. Animals were orally pre-treated during 10 days with TQ-loaded SNEDDS. Biochemical analyses, hematoxylin-eosin staining, indirect immunofluorescence, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were carried out to assess cell injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. The TQ formulation showed good in vitro characteristics, including stable nanoparticle structure and size with high drug release rate. In vivo determinations revealed that TQ-loaded SNEDDS pre-treatment of rats maintained cellular integrity by decreasing transaminase (ALT and AST) release and preserving the histological characteristics of their liver. The antioxidant ability of the formulation was proven by increased SOD activity, reduced MDA concentration, and iNOS protein expression. In addition, this formulation exerted an anti-inflammatory effect evidenced by reduced plasma CRP concentration, MPO activity, and gene expressions of TLR-4, TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-6. Finally, the TQ-loaded SNEDDS formulation promoted cell survival by enhancing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio. In conclusion, our results indicate that TQ encapsulated in SNEDDS significantly protects rat liver from I/R injury.