Article

Development of Novel lipid Nanoparticles for oral Bioavailability Enhancement of Irinotecan: In-vitro and In-vivo Investigations

Zulfiqar Ahmad1, Sushama Talegaonkar1★, Mohammad Tariq1, Lalit Mohan Negi2, Farhan Jalees Ahmad1★ Corresponding author

  1. 1Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, 110062, INDIA.
  2. 2Department of Oncology, Fresenius Kabi Pvt. Ltd, Gurgaon, Haryana, INDIA.

CORRESPONDENCE

Sushama Talegaonkar

Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, 110062, INDIA.

jamaiahamdard@ac.in

Received: 08-11-2015; Revised: 22-12-2015; Accepted: 21-06-2016.

Volume 50, Issue 2S · pp. s168–s179 · PUBLISHED 2026 · DOI: 10.5530/ijper.50.2.33

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ABSTRACT

Background: Irinotecan is indicated as a first line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. However, chemotherapy with irinotecan is restricted to i.v. route owing to poor and erratic oral bioavailability due to its excessive intestinal efflux by P-glycoprotein. Objective: Aim of the present study is to improve the oral pharmacokinetic profile of irinotecan (IRT) by merging the attributes of nano-particulate system and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) modulation activity of excipients. Methods: Gelucire 44/14 solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were developed and optimized by Box Behnken design. Optimized formulation was evaluated for various in vitro attributes and in vivo pharmacokinetic profile. Results: Size of optimized SLN was found to be 179.8±15.3 nm with polydispersity index, 0.367±0.029 and drug entrapment, 78.2±4.6%. SLN showed biphasic release profile i.e. initial burst release followed by sustained release. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and X-ray diffractometric (XRD) analyses of SLN demonstrated the loss of drug’s crystallinity in SLN. Further, confocal laser scanning microscopy showed higher permeation of Rhodamine 123 (P-gp substrate) across intestinal epithelium through SLN when compared with free rhodamine 123 solution. Furthermore, in-vivo studies exhibited superior pharmacokinetic profile; significantly high (p<0.001) Cmax (1471.6±190.9 ng/mL) was attained through SLN when compared with Cmax of oral suspension (1113.5±125.5 ng/mL), similarly, high Tmax (p<0.001) was observed which revealed sustained effect of SLN. Conclusively, 2.79 folds improvement in oral bioavailability of IRT could be achieved through SLN when compared with oral suspension. Conclusion: Outcomes of studies suggested the potential of developed SLN for oral delivery of irinotecan and possibility to replace pre-existing intravenous therapy.

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    Ahmad, Z., Talegaonkar, S., Tariq, M., Negi, L. M., & Ahmad, F. J. (2026). Development of Novel lipid Nanoparticles for oral Bioavailability Enhancement of Irinotecan: In-vitro and In-vivo Investigations. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 50(2S), s168–s179. https://doi.org/10.5530/ijper.50.2.33