SNEDDS REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW ON SELF NANO-EMULISIFYING DRUG DELIVERY

SYSTEM

over 50% of newly formulated drugs in the market now has poor solubility which limits the oral
administration. There are many factors which are responsible for this low oral bioavailability,
one of which is incomplete dissolution and precipitation of drugs in the gastrointestinal fluid due
to their lipophilic nature. To improve the bioavailability of such drugs, a lipid-based drug
delivery system will significantly facilitate the oral bioavailability. The advancement of
nanotechnology has pave way to finding nano-based delivery systems to overcome these
limitations.

The self nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) is a nanocarrier that forms
spontaneously from the mixture of oil, surfactant, co-surfactant, and an active drug compound in
a homogenous fine oil-in-water nano-emulsion liquid form [6]. The ability of this system to
encapsulate the insoluble lipophilic drug in a dissolved form with relatively in 200 nm or less in
size, not only improves the solubility, but also provides a larger interfacial area while enhancing
the rate of absorption of insoluble drugs [7]. SNEDDS not only have the ability to improve the
delivery of insoluble drug, they may also provide a better enzymatic and chemical stability while
at the same time have a larger interfacial area for absorption and enhance oral bioavailability
upon administration [8,9].

PREPARATION OF SELF NANO-EMULSIFYING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Composition of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems: (Neslihan Gursoy and Benita 2004) The
self-emulsifying process is based on:
- Concentration of surfactant.
- Nature of surfactant-oil phase combination
- The temperature at which selfemulsification process occurs
1- Drug/active pharmaceutical ingredient
Bandopadhyay et al. According to the Biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS), there are
four classes of drugs based on solubility (ability of a solute to dissolve in a solvent) and
permeability (contact between a solute and solvent to form a solution) (Khedekar and Mittal
2013).SEDDs usually used to enhance absorption related to the poor permeability and/ or
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solubility of the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) class II to IV drugs. However,

such systems can be used for the four classes(Singh,

2009).

2- Oils

It is the most critical component as it increase the absorption of included drug from GIT through
facilitating self-emulsification process and increasing lipophilic drug fraction transported
through the intestinal lymphatic system (Khoo 1998).

Both long and medium chain triglyceride (LCT and MCT) oils with variable saturation degrees
have been used for manufacturing of self-emulsifying systems.

Semisynthetic MCT, which are amphiphilic compounds with surfactant properties are widely
replacing the common medium-chain triglyceride oils(Constantinides 1995).

3- Surfactant

Since the self-emulsification property of SNEDDs is the crucial process to form the fine
emulsion droplets, a surfactant is needed to adopt such property , dissolve / solubilize include
amounts of lipophilic drug, prevent the risk of drug precipitation in GIT and hence, improve
dissolution rate (Constantinides 1995).

The selection of surfactant is based on HLB value where, surfactants have a high HLB value
help in the rapid spreading of formula in aqueous media and the instant formation of o/w
droplets. Nonionic surfactants are most preferred due to more favorable safety margins, superior
stability over a wider range of pH and reversible changes in intestinal mucosal
permeability(Gupta, Kesarla et al. 2013).

4- Co-surfactant

Co-surfactant of HLB value (10-14) is usually used in SEDDs as they allow spontaneous
formation of very fine O/W emulsion droplets through reducing oil-water interface.
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Figure 1 BCS CLASSIFICTION

Selection of appropriate Drug Candidates for SNEDDS Formulation

The challenges faced by a formulator during the formulation of an oral dosage form are to
solubilize the drug in the GI tract. SNEDDS improve the rate and scope of drug absorption.
SNEDDS approach is applied for BCS class II drugs that suffer from inferior water solubility
and bioavailability.[15]

Administration of these drugs in form of lipids enhances their bioavailability by bypassing the
absorptive barrier of reduced water solubility and illustrate dissolution in GI by transferring to
the bile-salt mixed micellar phase, through which absorption happens readily. [16] Properties of the
drug, including water solubility, log P are not adequate to identify the suitability of lipid-based
formulation, as they do not predict the in vivo effects.[17]
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In SNEDDS formulation, the free energy required for the formation of an emulsion is either little
or positive or negative. Hence, emulsification happens impulsively. It is essential for the
interfacial structure to illustrate no confrontation against surface shearing such that
emulsification takes place. The ease of emulsification may be due to the simplicity of water
penetration into a variety of liquid crystalline or gel phases on the droplet surface (Fig. 2).[18]

Figure 2:ENERGY REQUISITE FOR EMULSION FORMATION

Figure 3TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED FOR SOLUBILITY ENHANCEMENT OF DRUGS

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Figure 4:LIST OF SOME OILS, SURFACTANT AND CO-SURFACTANT USED IN SNEDDS.