Development and Optimization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Stabilized Piperine Adjuvant Simvastatin Nanoformulations for...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Antimicrobial Agents

Background:

• Simvastatin exhibits antimicrobial properties but suffers from low oral bioavailability due to rapid metabolism.
• Piperine, a CYP3A4 inhibitor, enhances drug bioavailability by inhibiting metabolic enzymes.
• Chitosan-neem gum polyelectrolyte complex (Ch-NG PEC) nanoparticles were developed to improve simvastatin's efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize polyelectrolyte complex stabilized piperine-adjuvant simvastatin nanoformulations.
• To evaluate the antimicrobial effect of these nanoformulations.
• To assess the potential of the developed nanoparticles as a dual-treatment agent.

Main Methods:

• Flower-shaped nanoparticles were prepared using chitosan-neem gum as a polyelectrolyte complex.
• A solvent-anti-solvent method was employed for nanoparticle formation.
• A 32-factorial design analyzed the impact of Ch and NG concentration on nanoparticle size, drug entrapment, and release profiles.

Main Results:

• High entrapment efficiency was achieved for both simvastatin (96.4-99.7%) and piperine (64.8-99.4%).
• Nanoparticle sizes ranged from 341.3-629.1 nm, with rapid drug release observed.
• Antimicrobial assays demonstrated activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not Candida albicans.

Conclusions:

• Piperine-adjuvant simvastatin Ch-NG-PEC nanoparticles show promise for treating hypercholesterolemia.
• These nanoparticles exhibit potential as a dual-treatment agent for bacterial infections.
• The developed nanoformulations offer an improved therapeutic approach for combined conditions.