Poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles via miniemulsion polymerization. 2. PEG-based surfactants

Natural biodegradable polymers based nano-formulations for drug delivery: A review

Nanomedicines are now considered as the new-generation medication in the current era mainly because of their features related to nano size. The efficacy of many drugs in their micro/macro formulations is shown to have poor bioavailability and pharmacokinetics after oral administration. To overcome this predicament, use of natural/synthetic biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have gained prominence in the field of nanomedicine for targeted drug delivery to improve biocompatibility, bioavailability, safety, enhanced permeability, better retention time and lower toxicity. For drug delivery, it is essential to have biodegradable nanoparticle formulations for safe and efficient transport and release of drug at the intended site. Moreover, depending on the target organ, a suitable biodegradable polymer can be selected as the drug-carrier for target specific as well as for sustained drug delivery. The aim of this review is to present the current status and scope of natural biodegradable polymers as well as some emerging polymers with special characteristics as suitable carriers for drug delivery applications. The most widely preferred preparation methods are discussed along with their characterization using different analytical techniques. Further, the review highlights significant features of methods developed using natural polymers for drug entrapment and release studies.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of 10-hydroxycamptothecin-loaded poly (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles prepared by miniemulsion polymerization

In this paper, 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT)-loaded poly (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (HCPT-PBCA-NPs) co-modified with polysorbate 80, soybean phospholipids, and polyethylene glycol (100) monostearate were successfully prepared via miniemulsion polymerization, and were characterized for particle size, morphology, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency (EE) and drug loading capacity (DL). The chemical structure of HCPT-PBCA-NPs and the state of HCPT in the PBCA-NPs were investigated by DSC, FTIR and ¹H NMR. Additionally, drug release, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake capacity, cellular uptake mechanism, and in vivo behavior of NPs were investigated as well. The particles were 92.7nm in size with a high EE of 94.24%. FTIR, ¹H NMR, and DSC demonstrated complete polymerization of BCA monomers and the drug was in a molecular or amorphous form inside the NPs. In vitro release of the drug from HCPT-PBCA-NPs exhibited sustained-release and less than 60% of HCPT was released from the NPs within 24h of dialysis. Cellular uptake study displayed that Caco-2 cell uptake of NPs was governed by active endocytosis, clathrin- and caveolin-mediated process, and increased with the increase of the NPs concentration and the time. The pharmacokinetic study in rats showed that encapsulation of HCPT into PBCA-NPs increased the C_max and AUC_0-t about 6.52 and 7.56 times, respectively, in comparison with the HCPT suspension. It was concluded that HCPT loaded PBCA-NPs prepared by miniemulsion polymerization could be promising in oral drug delivery.

Synthesis of well-defined core–shell nanoparticles based on bifunctional poly(2-oxazoline) macromonomer surfactants and a microemulsion polymerization process

Surface-functional nanoparticles have been fabricated by utilizing bifunctional poly(2-oxazoline) macromonomers as surfactants in a microemulsion process.

Role of poly(ethylene glycol) in surfactant-free emulsion polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate

Through zeta potential and surface tension measurements and a series of polymerization experiments, the role of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in the process of surfactant-free polymerization of styrene (St)/methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been investigated experimentally. Nanoscale and stable copolymer particles were formed after an abnormal process, in which the nucleation and growth of particles was different from that in previously proposed mechanisms. It has been observed that PEG can exist in both the monomer and the aqueous phases at high temperature. PEG in the aqueous phase could form copolymer particles with a loose structure, making them prone to enter the monomer phase. Entry of these copolymer particles into the monomer phase would introduce excess PEG. From the ternary phase diagram, a solubility curve could be delineated in the ternary system of PEG/monomer/copolymer. The system used the ternary solubility property to regenerate copolymer particles in the monomer phase, which maintained their morphology until the end of the polymerization. At the end, consumption of the monomer resulted in the volume contraction of the particles, and the surface potential increased. This increasing potential is a driving force to prevent particles from stacking, leading to the formation of nanoscale and stable particles.

Preparação de nanopartículas poliméricas a partir da polimerização de monômeros: parte I

Nanopartículas poliméricas produzidas a partir de polímeros sintéticos, como copolímeros do ácido metacrílico, ésteres acrílicos ou metacrílicos, têm sido amplamente utilizadas na área farmacêutica para encapsulação de princípios ativos. Essas nanopartículas apresentam as vantagens de proteção, liberação controlada, melhor biodisponibilidade e menor toxicidade, proporcionando maior conforto aos pacientes e adesão ao tratamento. A produção das nanopartículas (nanocápsulas e nanosferas) por polimerização de monômeros é revisada e descrita neste artigo, evidenciando os parâmetros tecnológicos que interferem nas características físico-químicas das nanopartículas, como a solubilidade do princípio ativo, o volume e pH do meio de polimerização, a massa molar e concentração do monômero e a natureza e concentração do tensoativo.

Miniemulsion polymerizations of n-butyl cyanoacrylate via two routes: towards a control of particle degradation

This study aimed at determining the influence of the mechanism of polymerization on the molar mass and degradation of poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles obtained by miniemulsion polymerization. Therefore, nanoparticles of poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) were synthesized via radical and/or anionic miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by Brij®78, a POE based surfactant. Polymerization conditions had little influence on the final diameter while it severely affected the final molar masses of PBCA. An increase of the temperature and of the pH of the continuous phase led to higher molar masses. A further increase was observed when a radical initiator was added in the monomer. The evolution of the molar mass of the synthesized poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) was followed as a function of time at pH 7.4 by Size Exclusion Chromatography. As expected, the degradation kinetics strongly depended on the polymerization mechanism (anionic or radical).

Miniemulsion polymerization as a versatile tool for the synthesis of functionalized polymers

The miniemulsion technique is a particular case in the family of heterophase polymerizations, which allows the formation of functionalized polymers by polymerization or modification of polymers in stable nanodroplets. We present here an overview of the different polymer syntheses within the miniemulsion droplets as reported in the literature, and of the current trends in the field.