Preparation and characterization of solid lipid nanoparticles containing silibinin.

The study describes the development of stealth solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) as colloidal carriers for silibinin, a drug with very low solubility. Stealth SLNs were constituted mainly of bioacceptable and biodegradable lipids, such as stearic acid and surfactant Brij 78 (polyoxyethylene 20 stearyl ether) and can incorporate amounts of silibinin up to 7.55%. Stealth-loaded SLNs were in the nanometer size range. Thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry) showed that silibinin was dispersed in the stealth SLNs at an amorphous state. Release of silibinin from stealth SLNs was very slow. Stealth SLNs were stable without precipitation of silibinin on storage conditions and can be proposed for their parenteral administration.