Development of Losartan Potassium Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SMEDDS) for Optimization of Bioavailability

Abstract

The purpose of the present research work was to formulate, evaluate, and optimize self-emulsifying formulation to enhance drug release. The solubility of formulation was determined in different natural oils, surfactant, and co-surfactants. Self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) was prepared by using castor oil, Tween 80, and Carbitol as co-surfactant. S-SEDDS evaluated for globule size and emulsification time. A 3² full factorial design was utilized for the optimization purpose. Formulation variables such as quantity of oil (X1) and ratio of surfactant to co-surfactant (X2) were investigated for their effect on globule size and emulsification time. Optimized formulation with minimum globule size was freeze-dried and finally, optimized formulation evaluated for the in vitro drug release study. To recognize the capable self-emulsifying zone, pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were prepared. For knowing the interaction behavior of desired responses, the Box-Behnken framework was used and configured using the appropriate method. At the last, the selected optimized formulation was tested for droplet size analysis, phase separation study, self emulsification time, transmittance, turbidity analysis, and zeta potential. Based on results it is concluded that SMEDDS can be a better choice to optimize the oral delivery of losartan potassium.