BIOAVAILABILITY TESTING OF ASIATICOSIDE FROM ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PEGAGAN (Centela asiatica) LEAVES SELF-NANOEMULSIFYING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS (SNEDDS) IN WISTAR RATS (Ratus norvegicus)

Asiaticoside is a bioactive compound from Centella asiatica with limited oral bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) on the pharmacokinetic profile and oral bioavailability from ethanolic extract of of C. asiaticoside compared with conventional C. asiatica ethanolic extract. An HPLC method was validated for asiaticoside determination in rat serum based on selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. Wistar rats were administered asiaticoside from ethanolic extract or SNEDDS orally, and blood samples were collected at predetermined intervals up to 360 minutes. Pharmacokinetic parameters including Cmax, Tmax, AUC₀–t, and relative bioavailability were subsequently determined. The HPLC method showed good linearity over 0.39–6.25 µg/mL with an R² of 0.9995 and acceptable accuracy and precision. SNEDDS increased the Cmax from 0.02362 ± 0.00207 to 0.15374 ± 0.00956 µg/mL and reduced Tmax from 240 to 120 minutes. The AUC₀–t increased from 5.22352 ± 0.16074 to 20.8248 ± 0.52093 µg·min/mL, resulting in 398.68% relative bioavailability, approximately 3.99-fold higher than the extract. The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating the substantial enhancement of asiaticoside absorption through SNEDDS. These findings provide a basis for developing nanoemulsion-based delivery systems to improve the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble bioactive compounds.