Abstract
Biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles were developed for sustained delivery of water-soluble macromolecules. PLGA nanoparticles were fabricated by spontaneous emulsification solvent diffusion method generating negatively charged particles and heterogeneous size distribution. As a model drug, blue dextran was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles. In addition, nanoparticles were also prepared with varying ratio of poloxamer 188 (P188) and poloxamer 407 (P407), and coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Then, the particle size, zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles containing blue dextran were studied. In vitro release of blue dextran from nanoparticles was also investigated. The surface and morphology of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In case of nanoparticles prepared with PLGA, P407, and different organic solvents, particle size was in the range of $230{\sim}320\;nm$ and zeta potentials of nanoparticles were negative. The SEM images showed that ethyl acetate is suitable for the formulation of PLGA nanoparticles with good appearance. Moreover, ethyl acetate showed higher encapsulation efficiency than other solvents. The addition of P188 to formulation did not affect the particle size of PLGA nanoparticles but altered the release patterns of blue dextran from nanoparticles. However, PVA, as a coating material, altered the particle size with increasing the PVA concentration. The nanoparticles were physically stable in the change of particle size during long-term storage. From the results, the PLGA nanoparticles prepared with various contents of poloxamers and PVA, could modulate the particles size of nanoparticles, in vitro release pattern, and encapsulation of water-soluble macromolecules.
