Design And Characterization Of Self Emulsifying Drug Delivery System Of Herbal Drug Compound

A glycyrrhetinic acid isolated from herbal plant Glycyrrhiza glabra (family Fabaceae), commonly known as licorice is used to formulate microemulsion as a self-emulsifying drug delivery system for oral administration using almond oil as the oil phase. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to determine the microemulsion existence region using surfactant (Tween 80) and cosurfactant (propylene glycol). Different formulations in the form of microemulsions were prepared to evaluate the effect of oil content, surfactant/co-surfactant concentration on in-vitro diffusion rates. In-vitro drug diffusion of glycyrrhetinic acid from the microemulsions was evaluated using the dialysis membrane. The amount of glycyrrhetinic acid permeated was analyzed by using the UV method. The permeability of the glycyrrhetinic acid incorporated into the microemulsion systems was considerably increased than that of the plain drug. These results indicate that the microemulsion system studied is a promising tool for increasing the solubility and oral absorption of glycyrrhetinic acid.