Mechanisms of Drug Delivery in Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems

In modern pharmaceutical sciences, novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) have emerged and gained much support for enhancing drug delivery systems and achieving better therapeutic outcomes. Among them, self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) have appeared as a promising approach to address the challenges associated with aqueous solubility, poor bioavailability, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. SNEDDS comprise three phases: oil phase, surfactant, and co-surfactant, which spontaneously form nanoemulsion (NE) when exposed to gastrointestinal tract (GIT) fluids. The NE enhances the solubility of hydrophobic drugs and facilitates their absorption across the intestinal epithelium. The current manuscript explores the mechanisms involved in SNEDDS-based drug delivery, highlighting their potential applications in overcoming the challenges associated with drugs that have poor water solubility and in improving therapeutic outcomes.