Double w/o/w nanoemulsion of 5-fluorouracil for self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system

The present study was undertaken to develop and evaluate double w/o/w nanoemulsions for self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for chemoprevention of colon cancer. Double nanoemulsions were prepared by spontaneous emulsification method. Developed formulations were characterized for surface morphology using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), droplet size distribution, viscosity, refractive index, transmittance and drug content. Finally, selected formulations were subjected to in vitro drug release and cytotoxicity studies. Droplet size of optimized double SNEDDS was found to be less than 25 nm. In vitro drug release studies showed more than 99% release of 5-FU from optimized formulation. In vitro cytotoxic studies showed that 5-FU in optimized double SNEDDS was five times more efficacious than free 5-FU on human colon cancer cell lines (HT-29). Overall, these results indicated that double nanoemulsions can be successfully used for SNEDD of 5-FU for chemoprevention of colon cancer.