Enhancing Oral Delivery Of Carmustine Using SelfMicroemulsifying Drug Delivery System

Abstract

Objective
The goal of this study was to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system to enhance the solubility of Carmustine, a chemotherapy drug that exhibit poor water solubility.
Significance
This study presents a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system based approach to enhance the solubility and dissolution of carmustine, addressing its poor oral bioavailability. The optimized formulation showed improved stability and nano-scale drug dispersion, offering a promising strategy for more effective oral chemotherapy delivery.
Methods
Solubility of Carmustine in different oils, surfactants and co-surfactants to identify the most effective combination. Ternary phase diagrams were then constructed to determine the optimal microemulsion region. The resulting formulations were assessed for drug content, stability and their ability to form emulsions. The best liquid selfmicroemulsifying drug delivery system formulation was later converted into a solid form using Neusilin UF2. Various physical characteristics such as particle size, zeta potential, drug release behavior and compatibility were evaluated using techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy, Powder X-ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectroscopy.
Results
The formulation F3 which consisted of olive oil, Tween 80 and PEG 400 was found to have a high drug content and excellent stability. It showed a significantly improved drug release rate compared to pure Carmustine with the drug evenly distributed in the nano-sized particles.
Conclusion
The optimized formulation enhanced drug release of Carmustine offering a potential solution for improving its oral bioavailability.