Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Putra Malaysia
  • 2 Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak
  • 3 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • 4 Universiti Teknologi MARA
MyJurnal

Abstract

Introduction:Acyclovir, a widely marketed antiviral drug is used for the treatment of Herpes Simplex infection. High doses of acyclovir are prescribed to patients to attain its maximum therapeutic effect due to its poor absorption and low oral bioavailability. The current therapeutics regiment of acyclovir are known to cause unwarranted adverse effects, thus prompted the need for a suitable drug carrier to improve the pharmacokinetic limitations. Develop-ment of solid lipid nanoparticles for oral delivery of acyclovir proposed in this study aimed to enhance acyclovir oral bioavailability. Methods: Comprehensive experiments and a series of optimization process were carried out to ensure reproducibility and assurance of product quality. The physicochemical characteristics of the solid lipid nanoparticles developed from plant-based solid lipid, Biogapress Vegetal 297 ATO with polysorbate 80 as an emul-sifying agent were also evaluated. Results: The spherical-shaped nanoparticles had an average size of 123 nm with good drug entrapment efficiency, up to 80%. The in vitro drug release study showed that solid lipid nanoparticles had prolonged acyclovir release in simulated intestinal fluid for 24 hours. The nanoparticles formulation was con-sidered stable during storage at refrigerated temperature for at least three months. In vivo oral bioavailability study showed that acyclovir-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles possessed superior oral bioavailability when compared with the commercial acyclovir suspension. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study exhibited the feasibility of solid lipid nanoparticles as an oral delivery vehicle for acyclovir and therefore represent a new promising therapeutic concept of nanoparticulate delivery system.