Conclusion

This study demonstrated the potential of silica nanoparticle-stabilized antibubbles as an innovative oral delivery system for chemotherapeutics (daunorubicin). The formulated antibubbles effectively encapsulated the drug, protecting against premature release in the gastric environment. The optimized formulation exhibited high entrapment efficiency (94%) and remained stable under varying pH conditions, ensuring minimal drug leakage. A key finding was the bile salt-triggered release mechanism, where bile salts acted as a natural stimulus, displacing interfacial silica particles and facilitating a burst release of daunorubicin in the intestinal environment. This property enables site-specific drug delivery while potentially reducing premature exposure of free daunorubicin in the upper GI tract. Furthermore, stability studies at pH 9 or above confirmed that almost all encapsulated drug remained intact after 24 h, compared to a 90% degradation rate observed for the free drug. These findings highlight the potential of antibubbles as a promising carrier for oral chemotherapeutic delivery, addressing key challenges in drug stability and targeted release. To further advance the application of such antibubbles for oral chemotherapeutic delivery, future studies should focus on dedicated biological evaluation, including mucosal cytotoxicity, oral tolerability, cellular uptake, and in-vivo validation. These studies will provide crucial insights into whether the reduced gastric release and bile salt-triggered intestinal release observed here can translate into lower mucosal toxicity and improved oral bioavailability compared with free daunorubicin.