Abstract
Background: Ibuprofen (IB) is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug but of limited use due to low solubility and gastric ulceration side effect.
Objective: To utilize pumpkin seed oil in the form of self nanoemulsion delivery system (SNEDs) as an enhancer for ibuprofen solubility, and a protective factor against ibuprofen-induced peptic ulcer.
Method: Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were utilized to determine the self-emulsifying region. The effects of formulation variables, i.e., concentrations of pumpkin oil (X-1), polyethylene glycol-40 stearate (MYS-40MV) as a surfactant (X-2), and polyethylene glycol-60 hydrogenated castor oil (HCO-60) as cosurfactant, on globule size and anti-ulcerative activity were evaluated.
Results: Optimum levels of IB-SNEDs components indicated by mixture design were X-1 (26.5%), X-2 (63.5%), and X-3 (10%), respectively. The optimized formula showed globule size of 104 nm. The anti-ulcerative activity score of the optimized formulation was 0.5, indicating a potential anti-ulcerative effect result from incorporation of pumpkin oil as one of IB-SNEDS component, in comparison to score 4 and 5 for the marketed product, and formulation containing oleic acid as an oil, respectively.
Conclusion: Pumpkin seed oil-based SNEDS enhanced the solubility and protected against ulceration effect of ibuprofen. The study suggests that pumpkin seed oil can effectively address the limitation of ibuprofen-induced gastric ulcer.