Table 1.
Characteristics differentiating SEDDS, SNEDDS, and SMEDDS
| Characteristic | SEDDS | SNEDDS | SMEDDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermodynamically stable [29] | No | No | Yes |
| Diameter [21, 30, 31] | > 400 nm | < 400 nm | < 100 nm |
| Appearance [3, 28] | Turbid/opaque | Optically transparent | Optically transparent |
| Oil proportion [3, 25] | 40–80% | > 10% | > 10% |
| Surfactant/co-surfactant proportion [3, 23] | 30–40% | 40–90% | 40–90% |
| HLB value of surfactant [2, 3, 18] | < 12 | > 12 | > 12 |
| Order of preparation [3, 30, 31] | Water then oil and surfactants | Surfactants, drug, and oil first, then water | Unaffected by order of mixing |
| Shape [30] | Spherical | Spherical | Non-spherical, rodlike, and spherical |
| Representative size |  |
 |
 |
Representative size figures adapted from “Classes of Nanoparticles,” by BioRender.com (2022). Retrieved from https://app.biorender.com/biorender-templates
Abbreviations: HLB hydrophilic–lipophilic balance, SEDDS self-emulsifying drug delivery system, SMEDDS self-microemulsifying drug delivery system, SNEDDS self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system