Formulation, optimization and evaluation of amisulpride-loaded niosomal intranasal gel for brain targeting.

To develop stable non-ionic surfactant vesicles containing amisulpride (AMS) to improve brain uptake via nose to brain mechanism. Niosomes were developed using a modified ethanol injection technique, optimized using 3 factorial design and evaluated for the vesicle size (VS), percent encapsulation efficiency (EE), zeta potential (ZP) and % cumulative drug release (%CDR). Optimized niosomes (Span-60: cholesterol ratio 0:1) showed 191.4 nm VS, 84.25% EE, -38.2 ZP and 81.31% CDR. gel with these niosomes displayed 78% CDR. TEM analysis revealed spherical niosomes. Pharmacokinetic and brain tissue distribution studies in rats showed enhanced plasma and brain concentrations, indicating successful brain targeting. This strategy demonstrates improved AMS permeation via the nasal cavity, enhancing bioavailability for treating schizophrenia.