Development of a nanoemulsion incorporating 3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA): Solubility and oral bioavailability through in vitro and in vivo studies

Development of a nanoemulsion incorporating 3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA): Solubility and oral bioavailability through in vitro and in vivo studies | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Development of a nanoemulsion incorporating 3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA): Solubility and oral bioavailability through in vitro and in vivo studies Najmeh Ketabchi, Seyed Nasser Ostad, Mahmoud Ghazi-Khansari, Hossein Ghanbari, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7838340/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Biotechnology → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: 3-Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) has attracted considerable interest due to its therapeutic potential against inflammatory and cancer-related disorders. However, its poor oral bioavailability remains a critical limitation for clinical application. This study aimed to enhance the bioavailability of AKBA by developing a nanoemulsion (NE)-based delivery system. Results: Several NE formulations were optimized and characterized based on drug loading, stability, and droplet size. The optimized NE-AKBA showed a particle size of 12–15 nm and was further tested for permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers, followed by in vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation. Permeability studies revealed significantly improved transport of NE-AKBA within the first hour. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated a notable increase in systemic exposure: the C max of AKBA rose from 3.36 to 12.23 μg/mL, while the AUC ₀₋t increased from 4257 to 6222 μg·h/mL, with T max remaining steady at 6 hours. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that nanoemulsion-based delivery significantly improves the oral bioavailability of AKBA and provides a promising platform for its future therapeutic development. Drug delivery Nanoemulsion AKBA boswellic acid pharmacokinetics bioavailability permeability Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Biotechnology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 30 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 06 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 18 Oct, 2025 Editor invited by journal 17 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7838340","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":538474806,"identity":"f0a5dfd9-d305-480c-a96d-6f60512a4ae3","order_by":0,"name":"Najmeh Ketabchi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tehran University of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Najmeh","middleName":"","lastName":"Ketabchi","suffix":""},{"id":538474812,"identity":"4a526e6f-ac20-48f9-9abe-bdd86ef5be01","order_by":1,"name":"Seyed Nasser Ostad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tehran University of Medical 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However, its poor oral bioavailability remains a critical limitation for clinical application. This study aimed to enhance the bioavailability of AKBA by developing a nanoemulsion (NE)-based delivery system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eSeveral NE formulations were optimized and characterized based on drug loading, stability, and droplet size. The optimized NE-AKBA showed a particle size of 12–15 nm and was further tested for permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers, followed by in vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation. Permeability studies revealed significantly improved transport of NE-AKBA within the first hour. 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