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A comparative study on the preparation and evaluation of solubilizing systems for silymarin

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Abstract

Silymarin (SM) exhibits clinical efficacy in treating liver injuries, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis. However, its limited water solubility and low bioavailability hinder its therapeutic potential. The primary objective of this study was to compare the in vitro and in vivo characteristics of the four distinct SM solubilization systems, namely SM solid dispersion (SM-SD), SM phospholipid complex (SM-PC), SM sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (SM-SBE-β-CDIC) and SM self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SM-SMEDDS) to provide further insights into their potential for enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of SM. The formation of SM-SD, SM-PC, and SM-SBE-β-CDIC was thoroughly characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) techniques to analyze the changes in their microscopic structure, molecular structure, and crystalline state. The particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of SM-SMEDDS were 71.6 ± 1.57 nm, and 0.13 ± 0.03, respectively. The self-emulsifying time of SM-SMEDDS was 3.0 ± 0.3 min. SM-SMEDDS exhibited an improved in vitro dissolution rate and demonstrated the highest relative bioavailability compared to pure SM, SM-SD, SM-PC, SM-SBE-β-CDIC, and Legalon®. Consequently, SMEDDS shows promise as a drug delivery system for orally administered SM, offering enhanced solubility and bioavailability.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our gratitude to Laien Xue, Yunfeng Fu, and Fuli Wen (Department of Comparative Medicine, 900 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Team, Fuzhou, China) for their invaluable technical assistance.

Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (Grant no. 2015J01491).

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  1. Department of Pharmacy, Fuzong Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University (900 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Team), Fuzhou, 350025, PR China

    Zhenzhen Chen, Wenhao Gao, Xianquan Feng, Guizhi Zhou, Minxin Zhang, Lingjun Zeng, Xiaomu Hu, Zhihong Liu & Hongtao Song

  2. School of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Fuzhou, 350108, China

    Guizhi Zhou

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Contributions

Zhenzhen Chen: Methodology, Investigation, Validation, Writing - original draft. Wenhao Gao: Methodology, Investigation, Validation, Writing - original draft. Xianquan Feng: Visualization, Methodology. Guizhi Zhou: Methodology. Minxin Zhang: Software, Methodology. Lingjun Zeng: Investigation, Software. Xiaomu Hu: Formal analysis. Zhihong Liu: Supervision, Funding acquisition. Hongtao Song: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration, Writing - review & editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Zhenzhen Chen, Wenhao Gao and Xianquan Feng contributed equally to this paper.

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Chen, Z., Gao, W., Feng, X. et al. A comparative study on the preparation and evaluation of solubilizing systems for silymarin. Drug Deliv. and Transl. Res. 14, 1616–1634 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-023-01476-8

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