Preliminary research on ibuprofen self-emulsifying formulation

Ibuprofen is an important and commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID). Its medicinal potentials are however severely hindered due to its poor water solubility and low oral absorption. A self-nano emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) is a lipid formulation that takes advantage of the solubilizing capacity of a mixture of oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant to improve intestinal permeability. The aim of this study is to develop SNEDDS of ibuprofen employing both labrafac CC and a natural lipophile (N-L) (vegetable oil) from pressed sesame seeds to improve the anti-inflammatory activity of ibuprofen. The formulation was stable against phase separation and drug precipitation, exhibited rapid emulsification within 5 s to yield an emulsion with a mean droplet size of 27.23 nm and showed a significant (p = 0.000) increase in anti-inflammatory properties compare to the aqueous suspension of the standard drug and each treatment agent across the test period. Overall, SNEDDS of ibuprofen with desirable physicochemical properties and improved anti-inflammatory activities were successfully developed using an un-refined lipophile obtained from pressed sesame seed.