Enhancement of bioavailability and hepatoprotection by silibinin through conversion to nanoparticles prepared by liquid antisolvent method

The current research was intended to establish the impact of Silibinin nanoparticles (SB-APSP) produced by the antisolvent precipitation with a syringe pump (APSP). The in-vivo bioavailability and hepatoprotective activity of SB-APSP were evaluated in experimental animals. To determine the pharmacokinetic parameters, silibinin and its nanoparticles were given orally to rabbits at a dose of 50 mg/Kg body weight. Blood samples were drawn at different time intervals and were analyzed using HPLC. The bioavailability of un processed silibinin was lower as compared to silibinin nanoparticles (3.45 ± 0.07 and 23.76 ± 0.07 µg/mL respectively). The AUC and C_max of SB-APSP were found to be 15.56 and 6.88 folds greater for nanoparticles when compared to silibinin. Hepatoprotective study in Male Sprague Dawley rats revealed that SB-APSP provide better recovery of the damaged liver cell induced by CCl₄. Histopathology of the liver revealed that SB-APSP provide better protection to the liver cells from the damage induced by CCl₄ and maintained the hepatic lobule histopathology more efficiently. It was concluded that the SB-APSP can more effectively protect the liver in experimental animals in a far better way compared to the un-processed Silibinin and could be used as an efficient hepatoprotective agent.