BACKGROUND Indirubin, isolated from the leaves of the Chinese herb Isatis tinctoria L, is a protein kinase inhibitor and promising antitumor agent. However, the poor water solubility of indirubin has limited its application. In this study, a supersaturatable self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SMEDDS) was developed to improve the oral bioavailability of indirubin. METHODS A prototyp...

The aim of this study was to develop a formulation to improve the oral absorption of baicalin (BA) by combining a phospholipid complex (PC) and self-emulsifying microemulsion drug delivery system (SMEDDS), termed BA-PC-SMEDDS. BA-PC was prepared by a solvent evaporation method and evaluated by complexation percentage (CP). The physicochemical properties of BA-PC were determined. The synergistic...

A new self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) has been developed to increase the solubility, dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of vinpocetine (VIP), a poor water-soluble drug. The formulations of VIP-SMEDDS were optimized by solubility assay, compatibility tests, and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams analysis. The optimal ratio in the formulation of SMEDDS was found to be Labraf...

The active ingredients of salvia (dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza) include both lipophilic (e.g., tanshinone IIA, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone and dihydrotanshinone I) and hydrophilic (e.g., danshensu and salvianolic acid B) constituents. The low oral bioavailability of these constituents may limit their efficacy. A solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SMEDDS) was developed t...

The objective of this study was to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) to enhance the oral bioavailability of the poorly water-soluble compound 20(S)-25-methoxydammarane-3β;12β;20-triol (25-OCH3-PPD). Optimized SMEDDS formulations for 25-OCH3-PPD contained Cremophor® EL (50%) as the surfactant, glycerin (20%) as the cosurfactant, and Labrafil® M1944 (30%) as the oil. T...

The aim of this study was to develop topical self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) containing antitumor agents (bleomycin, cisplatin and ifosfamide) and to investigate their inhibitory potential in SMEDDS on human cervical cancer HeLa cells. The physicochemical properties of cytostatic drug loaded SMEDDS were characterized. The cytotoxicity of main components of SMEDDS was also i...

Celecoxib is a hydrophobic and highly permeable drug belonging to class II of biopharmaceutics classification system. Low aqueous solubility of celecoxib leads to high variability in absorption after oral administration. Cohesiveness, low bulk density and compressibility, and poor flow properties of celecoxib impart complications in it's processing into solid dosage forms. To improve the solubi...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to develop an optimized solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) formulation for sirolimus to enhance its solubility, stability, and bioavailability. METHODS Excipients used for enhancing the solubility and stability of sirolimus were screened. A phase-separation test, visual observation for emulsifying efficiency, and droplet size analysi...

The improvement of bio-availability of drugs presents one of the greatest challenges in drug formulations. One of the most popular and commercially viable formulation approaches for this challenge is self-micro emulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS). 1 SMEDDS are defined as isotropic mixtures of natural or synthetic oils, solid or liquid surfactants, or alternatively, one or more hydrophili...

Solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) have been used increasingly for improving the bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. Labrasol® and Transcutol® are used widely as surfactant and solubilizer in the formulation of solid SMEDDS. We investigated the effects of spray-drying and the use of different solid carriers on concentrations of Labrasol® and Transcutol® in solid SMEDD...