ALBUMIN NANOSPHERES AS CARRIERS FOR PASSIVE-DRUG TARGETING - AN OPTIMIZED MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to develop a new method to prod uce albumin particles in the sub-200-nanometer range with a narrow siz e distribution and in a controlled and reproducible manner. Methods. A new emulsion crosslinking method was developed using ultrasound and s tatic mixing as homogenization steps and a central composite design wa s used to evaluate the influence of different process parameters on pa rticle size, polydispersity and yield. Results. Response surface analy sis allowed the location of the most important factors. Of all the fac tors investigated, only the albumin concentration and the aqueous phas e volume showed a significant influence on response parameters. Albumi n nanospheres with sizes below 200 nm in diameter and very narrow size distributions were obtained in high yields (>80%). Conclusions. This study describes a new preparation method for albumin nanoparticles whi ch are suitable for future drug targeting studies.