Preparation and evaluation of castalin (hydrolysable tannin)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles and exploring its anticancer potential

Abstract

Aim: Over the past few decades, nanoparticles (NPs) have gained immeasurable interest in the field of drug delivery.
Various NP formulations have been disseminated in drug development in an attempt to increase efficiency, safety,
and tolerability of incorporated drugs. In this context, NP formulations that increase solubility, control release, and/
or affect the in vivo disposition of drugs were developed to improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
properties of encapsulated drugs. Among the potent anticancer agents, castalin has been found to be very efficacious
against many different types of cancer cells. Our present work investigated the efficiency of encapsulation of
castalin in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs using solid/oil/water emulsion solvent evaporation method.
Materials and Methods: The NPs were formulated and then characterized for percent yield, encapsulation
efficiency, surface morphology, particle size, drug distribution studies, drug polymer interaction studies, and in vitro
drug release profiles. The objective of this work is to prepare and evaluate PLGA NPs of castalin, an anticancer
agent loaded by solvent displacement method using stabilizer (polyvinyl alcohol). Results and Discussion: The
prepared NPs were characterized by Fourier transmission infrared (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),
drug loading, entrapment efficiency, particle size, and surface morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM),
X-ray diffraction, and in vitro studies. FT-IR and DSC studies indicated that there was no interaction between the
drug and polymer. The morphological studies performed by AFM showed uniform and spherical-shaped discrete
particles without aggregation and smooth in surface morphology with a nano size range of 144 nm. Conclusion: In
this context, the huge number of reports on PLGA NPs used as drug delivery systems in cancer treatment highlights
the potential of PLGA NPs as drug carriers for cancer therapeutics and encourages further translational research.