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Abstract Background The purpose of this work was to prepare and evaluate the zotepine (ZT) loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) that might improve the oral bioavailability. ZT is an anti-psychotic drug used for the treatment of schizophrenia. Currently, it is available as parenteral and oral dosage form. But, ZT has a poor oral bioavailability of about 7–13% due to limited aqueous solubility and first-pass effect. ZT-SLNs were developed using homogenization method and characterized for optimal system based on physicochemical characteristics and in vitro release. The optimized ZT-SLNs were evaluated for permeation through rat intestine using evert sac method. The crystalline nature of the ZT-SLNs was studied using DSC and XRD analysis. Surface morphology studies were conducted using SEM. Physical stability of the optimized ZT-SLN was evaluated at refrigerator and room temperature over 2 months. Further, pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of ZT-SLN were conducted in male Wistar rats, in comparison with ZT coarse suspension (ZT-CS), in vivo. Results Among all the developed ZT-SLN formulations, optimized formulation (F1) showed Z-avg, PDI, and ZP of 104.3 ± 1.6 nm, 0.17 ± 0.01, and − 30.5 ± 2.5 mV, respectively. In vitro release and permeation studies exhibited 82.9 ± 1.6% of drug release and 19.6 ± 2.1% of percentage drug permeation over 48 h and 120 min, respectively. DSC and XRD studies revealed the conversion of ZT to amorphous form. SEM studies showed spherical shape with improved PDI of ZT-SLN formulation. PK studies showed a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in AUC of about 1.3-fold, in comparison with ZT-CS in Wistar rats. Conclusion Therefore, the results concluded that SLNs could be considered as a new alternative delivery system for the enhancement of oral bioavailability of ZT. |