The aim of this study was to develop, characterize and evaluate the in vivo oral efficacy of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) containing fexinidazole (FEX) in the experimental treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The developed FEX-SEDDS formulation presented as a clear, yellowish liquid, with absence of precipitate. The droplet size, polydispersion index and zeta potential after dilution in water (1:200) was of 91 ± 3 nm, 0.242 ± 0.005 and -16.7 ± 0.2, respectively. In the simulated gastric and intestinal media, the FEX-SEDDS had a size of 97 ± 1 and 106 ± 9 nm, respectively. The FEX retention in droplet after SEDDS dilution in simulated gastrointestinal media was almost 100 %. Antileishmanial efficacy studies showed that FEX-SEDDS was the only treatment able to significantly (p < 0.05) reduce the parasite burden in the liver and spleen of animals experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum. Our intestinal permeability data suggest that FEX-SEDDS showed no evidence of injury to the intestinal mucosa. These findings suggest that FEX-SEDDS can be a promising oral alternative for the treatment of VL caused by L. infantum.
Keywords: Fexinidazole; Intestinal permeability; Oral treatment; Self-emulsifying drug release system; Visceral leishmaniasis.
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