Nanoscience & Nanotechnology-Asia - Volume 14, Issue 6, 2024

The aim of the present study is to formulate and evaluate the Salvia miltorrhiza-loaded Nano-structured lipid carriers (SM-NLC) in order to enhance the aqueous solubility and bioavailability as the efficacy of Salvia miltiorriza extract has been restricted due to less solubility and low bioavailability.

Salvia miltiorrhiza is a well-known Chinese herb that belongs to the family Labiatae. The herb has been widely used to treat various kinds of ailments, and its main phytochemical constituents are Tanshinone I, Tanshinone II, Miltirone, and Salvionolic acid, which are mainly found in the extract of roots. These Phytochemical constituents are responsible for several pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular diseases etc.

Nano-lipid carriers are useful in enhancing the solubility of poor water-soluble drugs. The faulty lattice arrangement of Nano-lipid carriers (NLC) provides better entrapment, thus providing more space for the drug to incorporate in the lattice structure of NLC, improving the stability of the formulation and preventing the drug leakage from the matrix.

SM-NLCs were prepared by using oleic acid and stearic acid as liquid and solid lipids, respectively and tween 80 as the surfactant by high-speed homogenization method. The optimization of SM- NLC was performed by applying the Box-Behnken experimental design. The independent variables were chosen as the amount of lipids, surfactant concentration, and sonication time, whereas dependent variables were opted as particle size and entrapment efficiency. The influence of different proportions of the lipids (Stearic acid and Oleic acid) and the surfactant (Tween 80) was analysed on the dependent variables. The optimized formulation was evaluated for Particle size (241.7nm±3), Polydispersity index (.249 ±0.05), Zeta Potential (-14.6±5), and entrapment efficiency (82.49%). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed to identify the surface morphology, and the entrapment of the drug into the nanostructured matrix was verified by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The interaction between the formulations was confirmed by performing FTIR. The dialysis bag method was performed to calculate the in vitro drug release from the optimized formulation. Additionally, a stability study was performed for 1 month of duration.

The SM NLCs were successfully formulated based on the Box-Behnken design. Particle size, PDI, zeta potential, and EE demonstrated less than a 5% difference compared to the predicted value. The formulations did not show any possible interactions with the lipids. The optimized formulations were found stable after one month of stability studies.

The above results confirmed that Salvia miltiorrhiza could be effectively formulated in the form of a nanostructured-lipid carrier system. The formulation and evaluation of nanoparticles have been performed successfully using the homogenization method.

In the present investigation, nano-lipid technology was exploited to control the release of celecoxib (CXB) and overcome its dissolution problem. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have a small particle size (50-1000 nm) that results in a large surface area-to-volume ratio, which further enhances the contact between the drug and the dissolution medium. This leads to improved drug release and absorption.

This study aimed to enhance the solubility and hence improve the therapeutic efficacy of a BCS Class-II drug-celecoxib formulating it as solid lipid nanoparticles.

CXB-loaded-SLNs were prepared using the solvent emulsification-diffusion technique and optimized by CCD. Characterization included FTIR, drug loading, particle size, PDI, zeta potential, and in-vitro release and anti-inflammatory studies.

Optimized Formulation (OF1) exhibited particle size, PDI, and zeta potential were found to be 314 nm, 0.204, and -18.73 mV, respectively, with entrapment efficiency (79±0.18 %) and drug loading (44.38±0.21 %). The best-fitted model was the Korsemeyer-Peppas model, with drug release of 89.42 ±0.12 % in 24 h. OF1 formulation reduced the rat paw volume to a minimum (1±0.32) in 24 h when compared to pure API (2±0.62) and marketed preparation (2±0.42).

OF1 demonstrated sustained drug release with enhanced solubility and better in-vivo anti-inflammatory studies compared to pure API.