Preparation and evaluation of protective effect of pumpkin seed oil based self nanoemulsifying oral delivery system against ibuprofen-induced peptic ulcer

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 (X1), polyethylene glycol-40 stearate (MYS-40MV)as a surfactant (X2), 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 X1(26.5%), X2(63.5%), and X3(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.