The preparation of magnetically guided lipid based nanoemulsions using self-emulsifyingtechnology

Abstract

This paper reports an easy and highly reproducible preparation route, usingself-emulsifying technology, for an orally administered high quality magneticallyresponsive drug delivery system. Hydrophobic iron oxide nanoparticles ofabout 5 nm in diameter were prepared and incorporated into the lipid core ofthe produced oil droplets of a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (MagC18/SNEDDS). The produced nanoemulsion exhibits colloidal stability at high ionic strengthsand temperatures. The observed value of the saturation magnetization at 2 K is≈4.1 emu g−1. The nanoemulsion displayed the magnetic properties of a non-interacting assembly ofsuperparamagnetic particles and a low blocking temperature. Moreover the effect ofMagC18/SNEDDS on biological systems in vitro was investigated in rodent fibroblasts (3T3 cells). Thecytotoxicity studies show that none of the formulations tested affected cell activitysignificantly over the 24 h incubation. Such systems might have a potential use fororal delivery of poorly soluble compounds by extending the residence time of theformulation in the small intestine resulting in increased drug absorption values.