Intranasal delivery of doxepin: enhancing brain targeting efficiency utilizing nanostructured lipid carriers for a biopharmaceutics drug disposition classification system class-I drug

Doxepin, a Class-I Biopharmaceutics Drug Disposition Classification System (BDDCS) drug, exhibits poor bioavailability due to extensive first-pass metabolism. This research focuses on enhancing the delivery of doxepin by formulating nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) through the utilization of the Box-Behnken Design methodology. These optimized NLCs are intended for intranasal administration, with the ultimate goal of improving nose-to-brain drug delivery. NLCs were formulated using a high-speed homogenization technique. The optimized batch had a small particle size (75.80 ± 5.48 nm, PDI = 0.286), high entrapment efficiency (94.10 ± 0.16%), and sustained ex vivo release (82.25 ± 4.61% at 24 h). Characterization studies confirmed the conversion of doxepin from a crystalline to an amorphous state with uniform distribution in the lipid matrix. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in rats showed significantly higher doxepin concentration in the brain tissue (C_max = 16.77 µg/g, t_max = 30 min) after intranasal administration compared to intravenous administration (C_max = 2.53 µg/g, t_max = 6 h). High-drug targeting efficiency (DTE = 284.3%) and direct transport percentage (DTP = 64.8%) suggested direct penetration of NLCs in the brain via olfactory and trigeminal pathways. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential of NLCs to improve the bioavailability of doxepin through nose-to-brain delivery and thereby potentially enable the treatment of neurological disorders.