Preparation and characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers loaded traditional Chinese medicine, zedoary turmeric oil.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this work was to study the preparation and characteristics of zedoary turmeric oil (ZTO), a traditional Chinese oily medicine, loaded with nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs).


METHODS
Aqueous dispersions of NLC were successfully prepared by melt-emulsification technique using Crodamol SS as the solid lipid, Miglyol 812N as the liquid oil, and soybean phosphatidylcholine (SbPC) as the emulsifier. Properties of NLC such as the particle size and its distribution, the transmission electron microscope (TEM), drug entrapment efficiency (EE), and drug release behavior were investigated, respectively. The Germacrone blood concentration after intravenous administration of ZTO-NLC was determined and compared with that of ZTO-injection.


RESULTS
As a result, the drug EEs were improved by adding the liquid lipid into the solid lipid of nanoparticles (SLNs). In vitro drug release experiments indicated that the prepared NLC could enhance the drug release rate over the SLN, and the drug release rate could be adjusted by the liquid lipid content in lipid nanospheres. X-ray and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed that imperfect crystallization occurred in the inner core of the NLC particles.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the presented NLC system might be a promising intravenous dosage form of water-insoluble oily drugs.
Zhao
Xiu-Li
XL
School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
Yang
Chun-Rong
CR
Yang
Kai-Liang
KL
Li
Ke-Xin
KX
Hu
Hai-Yang
HY
Chen
Da-Wei
DW
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D030024:Curcuma / Q000737:chemistry; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D004339:Drug Compounding; D004355:Drug Stability; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004655:Emulsions; D008055:Lipids / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010316:Particle Size; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004655:Emulsions; D008055:Lipids; D010938:Plant Oils