Self-emulsifying drug delivery system of black seed oil with improved hypotriglyceridemic effect and enhanced hepatoprotective function

Abstract

Abstract Black Seed Oil (BSO), obtained from the seeds of black cumin (Nigella sativa), has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective effects. The present study was aimed to develop a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) of BSO, to improve hypotriglyceridemic and hepatoprotective function. SEDDS-BSO formed fine micelles with a mean droplet size of 183 nm and improved the dispersion behavior of BSO in water as evidenced by at least 2.6-fold higher dispersibility compared with BSO. In the CCl4-treated rat model of acute hepatic injury, SEDDS-BSO (10 mg-BSO/kg, p.o.) led to 91.7% and 86.8% reductions of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, respectively, suggesting that SEDDS-BSO could attenuate hepatotoxicity compared to BSO. In addition, repeated oral administration of SEDDS-BSO (10 mg-BSO/kg, p.o.) for 7 days had a potent hypotriglyceridemic effect on rats with corn-oil-induced hypertriglyceridemia compared to BSO. Therefore, the SEDDS approach might be an efficacious dosage option to enhance the nutraceutical properties of BSO.