Untitled

Abstract

Self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of Aceclofenac (ACE) was aimed at overcoming the problems of poor solubility. ACE is practically insoluble in water as a result it shows erratic oral absorption and affects the bioavailability. The formulation strategy included selection of oil phase based on saturated solubility studies and surfactant and co-surfactant screening on the basis of their emulsification ability. Ternary phase diagrams were constructed to identify the self-emulsifying region. Labrafac PG 8 (20%) as oil, tween 80 (60%) as surfactant and Polyethylene glycol 400 (20%) as cosurfactant were concluded to be optimized components. The prepared SMEDDS was characterized through its droplet size, zeta potential, emulsification time and rheological determination. The optimized formulation exhibited 98.14 ± 0.34% in-vitro drug releases, which was significantly higher than that of the drug solution. The study confirmed the potential of ACE SMEDDS for oral administration. It was concluded that the SMEDDS formulation approach can be used to improve solubility and dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs such as ACE.