Development and Characterization of Solid SMEDDS for Enhanced Oral Delivery of Ticagrelor

The purpose of this study was to develop and optimize a Self-Micro Emulsifying Drug Delivery System (SMEDDS) for the poorly water-soluble drug Ticagrelor, enhancing its solubility and bioavailability. The study aimed to systematically evaluate the formulation using a mixture L-optimal design to achieve maximum transparency and minimal self-emulsification time.The solubility of Ticagrelor was significantly improved by utilizing a combination of Capmul-PG8, Tween-20, and PEG-400. The mixture L-optimal design helped identify the optimal formulation with oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant ratios, showing a percentage transparency of 99.6 ± 2.85% and a self-emulsification time of 15.4 ± 1.03 seconds. In vitro drug release studies indicated that liquid SMEDDS achieved a release of 99.2 ± 1.5% at 60 minutes, outperforming solid SMEDDS (94.3 ± 2.6%) and an aqueous drug solution (55.4 ± 2.4%). Stability testing demonstrated that the optimized formulation remained stable over 30 days under accelerated conditions.The optimized SMEDDS formulation of Ticagrelor significantly enhanced the drug's solubility and release profile, suggesting its potential for improving bioavailability in poorly soluble drugs. These findings offer a promising strategy for the formulation of other hydrophobic drugs and could have significant clinical implications.