Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System: Formulation and Study Intestinal Permeability of Ibuprofen in Rats

The study was aimed at developing a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of Ibuprofen for investigating its intestinal transport behavior using the single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) method in rat. Methods. Ibuprofen loaded SMEDDS (ISMEDDS) was developed and was characterized. The permeability behavior of Ibuprofen over three different concentrations (20, 30, and 40 µg/mL) was studied in each isolated region of rat intestine by SPIP method at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The human intestinal permeability was predicted using the Lawrence compartment absorption and transit (CAT) model since effective permeability coefficients (P (eff)) values for rat are highly correlated with those of human, and comparative intestinal permeability of Ibuprofen was carried out with plain drug suspension (PDS) and marketed formulation (MF). Results. The developed ISMEDDS was stable, emulsified upon mild agitation with 44.4 nm ± 2.13 and 98.86% ± 1.21 as globule size and drug content, respectively. Higher P (eff) in colon with no significant P (eff) difference in jejunum, duodenum, and ileum was observed. The estimated human absorption of Ibuprofen for the SMEDDS was higher than that for PDS and MF (P < 0.01). Conclusion. Developed ISMEDDS would possibly be advantageous in terms of minimized side effect, increased bioavailability, and hence the patient compliance.