Preparation of fenofibrate nanosuspension and study of its pharmacokinetic behavior in rats

Abstract

Background: In this study, nanosuspension was prepared to improve the dissolution rate and bioavailability of lipophilic fenofibrate. Method: Melt emulsification method combined with high-pressure homogenization was adapted, and mixture of poloxamer188 and PVP K30 were selected as surfactants. This method consumed less energy and was more efficient than traditional homogenization of drug solid particles suspension directly. Results: The dissolution rate of fenofibrate nanosuspension was increased obviously, and the product was evaluated by pharmacokinetic characteristic in rats. The AUC_{0–36 h} and C_max of nanosuspensions were increased when compared with the reference formulations. No significant differences were found between the two nanosuspensions A and B, of which the mean particle sizes were 356 and 194 nm, respectively. Therefore, nanosuspensions may be a suitable delivery system to improve the bioavailability of those drugs with poor water solubility.

Key words:

• Fenofibrate
• high-pressure homogenization
• melt emulsification
• nanosuspension
• pharmacokinetic

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province (BK2006177) for the financial support of this work.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.