Self emulsifying drug delivery system: norfloxacin model drug

Background Norfloxacin is a synthetic antibacterial fluoroquinolone that is poorly water soluble and active against a wide spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic bacteria. The goal of this work was to create a self-nanoemulsion (SNE) as a colloidal dispersed drug delivery system for increasing norfloxacin dissolving rate, while also assuming intestinal lymphatic transport participation for such a nano-size system that would increase norfloxacin oral bioavailability. Methods Depending on the solubility of norfloxacin in various components, several formulations of liquid SNEDDS of the antibiotic were created using oleic acid (oil), tween20 (surfactant), and PEG200 (co-surfactant). To assess the presence of a nanoemulsion region, phase diagram was generated at various oil: surfactant: co-surfactant ratios. Results The in-vitro dissolution profile suggested an optimum norfloxacin SEDD formulation (F1) comprised of oleic acid (10%), tween 20 (45%), and PEG200 (45%), as opposed to commercially available traditional tablets. The F1 formula exhibited thermodynamic stability with a zeta potential of +60.78mV and a droplet size of 57.4nm. The F1 formula revealed an improved dissolving profile as compared to the commercial Tablet of norfloxacin. Conclusion Based on the findings, this study indicated that preparing norfloxacin as a liquid self-nanoemulsifying system improved the solubility and drug release of norfloxacin counteract the inconsistent bioavailability of the commercial tablet.