Abstract

A self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was developed as a novel route to enhance the efficacy of docetaxel lipophilic drug. SNEDDS comprised ethyl oleate, Tween 80 and poly(ethylene glycol) 600, as oil, surfactant and co-surfactant, and formed stabilized monodispersed oil nanodroplets upon dilution in water. SNEDDS represented encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of 21.4 and 52.7, respectively. The docetaxel release profile from the drug-loaded SNEDDS was recorded, its effectiveness against MCF-7 cell line was investigated, and an IC50 value of 0.98 +/- 0.05 mu g mL(-1) was attained. The drug-loaded SNEDDS was administrated in rats, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of maximum concentration of 22.2 +/- 0.8 mu g mL(-1), time to attain this maximum concentration of 230 min, and area under the curve of 1.71 +/- 0.18 mu g min mL(-1) were obtained. The developed SNEDDS formulation can be represented as an alternative to docetaxel administration.