1Professor and Head, Department of Pharmaceutics, Santhiram College of Pharmacy, Nandyal-518501, Andhra Pradesh, India.
2*Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Santhiram College of Pharmacy, Nandyal-518501, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-Mail id: reugandar@gmail.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7014-0864 (Corresponding Author)
3,4Research Scholars, Department of Pharmaceutics, Santhiram College of Pharmacy, Nandyal-518501, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Background: Hypertension is the most prevalent contributor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality around the world that requires finding new drug delivery techniques to enhance therapeutic outcomes. Nifedipine, which is commonly used as a calcium channel blocker, is associated with its impairments in terms of low aqueous solubility, high first-pass metabolism, and low half-life, thereby causing inadequate bioavailability. The aim of the current research was to prepare and encapsulate nifedipine in liposomal nanocarriers to increase the drug delivery efficiency and release properties.
Methods: Nifedipine-filled liposomes were prepared by the ethanol injection procedure where soya lecithin and cholesterol spliced into the lipids. Pre-formulation tests such as solubility, constructing a calibration curve, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy assay helped in determining the drug identity and its solubility and compatibility with excipients. The studies implemented on Franz diffusion described the following characteristics of formulations: particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release.
Results: Out of the developed formulations (F1-F17), formulation F11 was the best with a particle size of 243.4 nm, PDI of 0.381, zeta potential of ─39.8 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 85.92%. The shape had a sustained drug release (75.8% in 12 hours), which is a sign of diffusion behavioral control. FTIR analysis showed no evidence of chemical interactions, promoting the stability of the formulation.
Conclusion: The study proves that liposomal encapsulation does help in enhancing the delivery of nifedipine, which is a promising method of improved hypertension treatment due to the ability to provide a longer and prolonged therapeutic effect to the patient and lower the dosage frequency rate.
KEYWORDS: Nifedipine; Liposomes; Nanocarriers; Hypertension; Drug Delivery; Sustained Release; Entrapment Efficiency.
How to cite this article: Badarinath AV, Ugandar RE, Rao SS, Obaiah P. Design and Evaluation of Nifedipine-Loaded Liposomal Nanocarriers for Enhanced Drug Delivery and Sustained Antihypertensive Therapy. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(13s): 1044-1052. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.13s.115.
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None