Advancing Lovastatin Drug Delivery: Formulation and Evaluation of Polymeric Nanoparticles for Enhanced Bioavailability

The present investigation formulated the lovastatin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (LV-PNPs) by utilizing the modified nanoprecipitation technique. Lovastatin (LV) belongs to the class of BCS type II which has the low solubility and directly affects the bioavailability after oral administration. To overcome this problem LV-PNPs were developed by using chitosan as a polymer and poloxamer 407 as a surfactant. LV-PNPs were formulated by using the different drug: polymer ratios like 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1 and 10:1. A total of five formulations of LV-PNPs were formulated and evaluated for various evaluation parameters like Particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE), percent yield, drug loading and in vitro drug release studies. Later the LV-PNPs were characterized for morphological studies and compatibility studies. Among the total five formulations, LN5 exhibited the lowest particle size i.e., 124 nm, EE was 97.145 and % cumulative drug release was 99.36% over 12 hrs. The drug release from the nanoparticles following the zero-order release kinetics was found by the curve fitting method. Furthermore, morphological studies reveal that LV-PNPs have the spherical shape and porous nature. Drug and excipient compatibility studies validated that there was a lack of drug-polymer interactions. In conclusion, the formulated LV-PNPs increased the solubility and bioavailability at the laboratory level.