Preparation of All-Trans-Retinoic Acid-Loaded Mpeg-Plga Nanoparticles Using Microfluidic Flow-Focusing Device for Controlled Drug Delivery Publisher



Safari M¹ ; Amani A^{1, 3} ; Adebileje T¹ ; Ai J¹ ; Rezayat SM^{1, 2} ; Ghanbari H¹ ; Faridimajidi R¹
Source: Nano Published:2020

Abstract

In recent years, microfluidic devices present unique advantages for the development of a new generation of nanoparticle synthesis method compared to bulk methods. In this study, we report a microfluidic flow-focusing method for the production of all trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-loaded methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide-coglycolide) (mPEG-PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs). Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) was applied to optimize of formulation ingredients and process conditions with minimum particle size, maximum drug loading% (DL%) and encapsulation efficiency% (EE%). Polymer concentration, drug concentration and flow rates of solvent (S) and antisolvent (AS) were selected as independent variables. Based on optimization strategy, minimum particle size achieved shows average (SD) particle size of 159±8nm with DL of 7.1±0.04wt.% and EE of 98.71±0.58wt.%, respectively. While maximum DL has been reported to be 16.51±0.03wt.% with particle size of 205±5.29nm and EE of 99.42±0.45wt.%, respectively. Moreover, the results have shown that the AS/S ratio represents the most significant effect on particle size. Indeed, increasing the AS flow rate directly results in generating smaller particles. The AS/S ratio represents the least significant effect on DL%, such that, at fixed flow rates, higher DL was observed at high concentration of drug and lower concentration of polymer. In conclusion, optimization of the ATRA-loaded mPEG-PLGA NPs by BBD yielded in a favorable drug carrier for ATRA that could provide a new treatment modality for different malignancies. © 2020 World Scientific Publishing Company.