Asian Journal of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences

Published by Asian Online Journals (AOJ) • ISSN (Online): 2321-2845 • ISSN (Print): 2321-2845
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Open Access Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles

Design, Formulation and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Targeted Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Poorly Soluble Antineoplastic Agents

Sarah Jenkins *
Kenichi Nomura *
* Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney (Australia)
* Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University (Japan)

Abstract

Oral administration of hydrophobic antineoplastic drugs is frequently hampered by poor aqueous solubility, extensive first-pass hepatic metabolism, and low gastrointestinal bioavailability. This pharmaceutical study develops, optimizes, and evaluates surface-modified Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) engineered for the enhanced oral bioavailability and controlled intestinal release of paclitaxel. The lipid nanoparticles were synthesized via high-pressure hot homogenization utilizing solid and liquid lipid matrices stabilized with non-ionic surfactants and functionalized with chitosan for mucoadhesive targeting. Physicochemical characterization demonstrated uniform spherical morphology with a mean hydrodynamic particle size of 138.4 nanometers, polydispersity index of 0.142, and high drug entrapment efficiency of 92.6%. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies conducted in rodent models confirmed a 4.6-fold enhancement in systemic peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and a 5.2-fold increase in total area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-inf) compared to standard oral drug suspensions. Cellular cytotoxicity assays against human carcinoma cell lines corroborated enhanced cellular uptake and apoptotic induction, establishing the formulated NLCs as a promising nanocarrier platform for oral cancer chemotherapy.

Keywords

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Oral Drug Bioavailability Paclitaxel Nanomedicine Pharmacokinetic Optimization Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology
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Declarations & Ethics

Funding: This research received academic dissemination support through ESCAP / JournalsHub publishing programs.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing financial or institutional interests.
Peer Review: Double-blind peer reviewed by international subject specialists.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
How to Cite This Article
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Jenkins, et al. (2025). Design, Formulation and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Targeted Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Poorly Soluble Antineoplastic Agents. Asian Journal of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajpnms.v13i1.7901
Jenkins, et al. "Design, Formulation and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Targeted Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Poorly Soluble Antineoplastic Agents." Asian Journal of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, 2025. https://doi.org/10.24203/ajpnms.v13i1.7901
Jenkins, et al. "Design, Formulation and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Targeted Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Poorly Soluble Antineoplastic Agents." Asian Journal of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences 13, no. 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajpnms.v13i1.7901