Chitosan coated furosemide liposomes for improved bioavailability.

Furosemide loaded chitosan coated liposomes were prepared by the evaporation-sonication method to improve pharmaceutical characteristics of drug. Formulations were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, cell viability and permeability on Caco-2 cells. Cytotoxic effect was evaluated by using MTT test. The encapsulation efficiency, zeta potential and particle size of liposomes were increased when they were coated with chitosan. An eight fold increase on Furosemide permeability was obtained for coated liposomes when compared to uncoated formulations. In addition, Cytotoxicity of chitosan coated liposomes was decreased towards Caco-2 cell line. Obtained results suggest that prepared formulations have potential to be used as carriers of poorly soluble drugs and they may improve their bioavailability after oral administration.