Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics Evaluation of Ranitidine Microemulsion on Experimental Animals

Abstract

Ranitidine microemulsion was investigated for its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation to find out the suitability of microemulsion as a potential drug delivery system in the treatment of ulcer. The bioavailability of ranitidine after oral administration is about 50% and is absorbed via the small intestine; this may be due to low intestinal permeability. Hence the aim of present investigation was to maximize the therapeutic efficacy of ranitidine by developing microemulsion to increase the intestinal permeability as well as bioavailability. A ground nut oil based microemulsion formulation with Tween-80 as surfactant and PEG-400 as cosurfactant was developed for oral delivery of ranitidine and characterized for physicochemical parameters. In pharmacodynamic studies, significant ( P < 0.05 ) variation in parameters estimated was found between the treated and control groups. Ranitidine microemulsion exhibited higher absorption and C max (863.20 ng·h/mL) than the standard (442.20 ng/mL). It was found that AUC 0–24 hr obtained from the optimized ranitidine test formulation (5426.5 ng·h/mL) was significantly higher than the standard ranitidine (3920.4 ng·h/mL). The bioavailability of optimized formulation was about 1.4-fold higher than that of standard drug. This enhanced bioavailability of ranitidine microemulsion may be used as an effective and alternative drug delivery system for the antiulcer therapy.