Nonionic Microemulsions as Solubilizers of Hydrophobic Drugs: Solubilization of Paclitaxel.

The strategy using nonionic microemulsion as a solubilizer for hydrophobic drugs was studied and is demonstrated in this work. The aqueous phase behaviors of mixed nonionic surfactants with various oils at 37 °C are firstly constructed to give the optimal formulations of nonionic microemulsions with applications in the enhanced solubilization of the model hydrophobic drug, paclitaxel, at 37 °C. Briefly, the suitable oil phase with paclitaxel significantly dissolved is microemulsified with appropriate surfactants.

Interaction between hydrophobically modified 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose and sodium dodecyl sulfate studied by viscometry and two-dimensional NOE NMR spectroscopy.

Interaction between an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and a nonionic polymer, 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) hydrophobically modified with benzoyl chloride (bmHEC), is studied by viscometry and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect NMR spectroscopy (2D NOESY) in a semidilute regime of bmHEC. The hydrophobicity of bmHEC was varied with different substitution of benzoyl group to HEC macromolecules. In general, the low-shear viscosity of 1 wt % bmHEC aqueous solution is increased with added SDS surfactant having concentration from 0 to 0.

Self-emulsifying O/W formulations of paclitaxel prepared from mixed nonionic surfactants.

Nonionic self-emulsifying oil-in-water (O/W) formulations free of Cremophore were developed as drug delivery vehicles for paclitaxel. The surfactants used included phosphatidylcholine purified from egg yolk (EPC), Tween, and Span. Oils phases were either pure components or blends from benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol benzyl benzoate, and tributyrin.