The present investigation was undertaken with an objective to prepare the SMEDDS of simvastatin in order to improve its bioavailability. Among the tested oils, simvastatin exhibited significantly higher solubility in lemon oil compared to all other oils. Emulsification studies showed that Span 60 was able to produce clear microemulsion with lemon oil upon dilution, and hence, it was employed as the surfactant in further studies. PEG 400 was used as the cosurfactant for the formulation of SMEDDS. The results revealed that span 60 and PEG 400 used in ratios of 2:1 (F15-16) and 3:1 (F23-24) exhibited largest microemulsion area and shortest emulsification time (less than 1 min). A fixed simvastatin concentration of 5% w/w was selected to be loaded in all selfemulsifying formulations. The in vitro dissolution studies revealed the drug release profiles for the L-SMEDDS. All the formulations exhibited quick drug release characteristics and almost complete drug release in 15-20 minutes.

Simvastatin, Essential Oil, SMEDDS, Ternary phase, Surfactant, Solubility

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