Preparation and molecular interaction of organic solvent-free piperine pro-liposome from soy lecithin

Abstract

Pro-liposome is a type of drug delivery system (DDS) with numerous advantages as a stable material with various applicability for several pharmaceutical dosage forms, to effectively deliver the material to reach its target in the human body. Nevertheless, it is mostly designed by employing an organic solvent hence giving rise to safety issues. We have developed a method for the preparation of organic solvent-free liposomes composed of soy lecithin and cholesterol by highlighting the importance of temperature during the initial mixing process, a self-hydration of a thin layer spread film, and a spray-drying technique with a suitable excipient as the carrier. The method was successfully applied to prepare a stable pro-liposome containing 0.17% (w/w) of piperine with an encapsulation efficiency of 95.58 ± 2.91%. Moreover, the study revealed that a piperine molecule forms hydrophobic interaction with six of the adjacent phospholipids in the liposome structure, this information can be useful for researchers designing similar studies. In conclusion, organic solvent-free pro-liposome can be an alternative method in the development of DDS, and several factors could be continuously improved to fulfill the intended pro-liposome characteristic.