Aim: The aim of the study was to develop self-emulsifying delivery systems (SEDDS) exhibiting improved permeation rate for pulmonary delivery of amikacin for treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.
Materials & methods: Solubility of amikacin in lipids was improved by hydrophobic ion pairing with sodium myristyl sulfate. The complex was loaded into SEDDS. Drug-release studies were performed and the permeation properties of SEDDS through human CF mucus were examined.
Results: A total of 10% complex could be loaded into SEDDS. SEDDS exhibited sustained release. Up to twofold more amounts of amikacin permeated through the CF mucus compared with reference.
Conclusion: The developed SEDDS with amikacin may be a promising tool for the treatment of certain bacterial infections of CF patients.
Keywords: CF mucus permeation; SEDDS; amikacin; cystic fibrosis; hydrophobic ion pairing; self-emulsifying delivery systems.