Formulation and Evaluation of Naringenin Nanosuspensions for Bioavailability Enhancement.

The clinical potential of naringenin (NRG) is compromised due to its poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability. The study is aimed at addressing these issues by means of naringenin nanosuspensions (NRG-NS) formulated using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP K-90) as stabiliser via antisolvent sonoprecipitation method. Optimisation of sonication time, drug concentration and stabilisers was done based on particle size. Characterisation of pure NRG and NRG-NS was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In vitro dissolution, intestinal absorption by non-everted rat intestinal sac model and in situ single pass intestinal perfusion techniques were performed for further investigation. Nanosuspensions prepared using PVP K-90 lead to minimum particle size (117 ± 5 nm) with zeta potential of -14.6 ± 5.6 mV. The particle size was affected by increasing sonication time, concentration of stabiliser and drug. Nanosizing process converted the crystalline drug into amorphous form as predicted from DSC and XRD patterns. FTIR demonstrated the formation of hydrogen bonds between drug and polymer. NRG-NS displayed a higher dissolution amount (91 ± 4.4% during 60 min) compared to NRG powder (42 ± 0.41%). The apparent and effective permeability of NRG-NS was increased as compared to the pure NRG. The in vivo pharmacokinetics demonstrated that the C and AUC values of NRG-NS were approximately 2- and 1.8-fold superior than the pure drug. Hence, overall results confirmed nanosuspensions as promising approach for NRG delivery with high absorption in gastrointestinal tract, improved dissolution and oral bioavailability.