EVALUATION OF POLYALKYLCYANOACRYLATE NANOPARTICLES AS A POTENTIAL-DRUG CARRIER - PREPARATION, MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND LOADING CAPACITY

Some physicochemical behaviours were investigated of polyethyl- (PECA) and polyisobutylcyanoacrylate (PICA), which, in recent years, have be en proposed as nanoparticle colloidal systems for drug carrying. We ob served the influence of preparation conditions, such as pH value and s urfactant concentration, on parameters such as particle size and polym er molecular weight. Lower operating pH values (0-2) resulted in small er nanoparticles than those prepared at pH 5.5. The polymer molecular weight was also a function of pH: low molecular weight at low pH and v ice-versa. The surfactant concentration positively influenced main par ticle size and polymer molecular weight. These trends were independent of type of monomer; in fact, both ethyl- (ECA) and isobutyl-2-cyanoac rylate (ICA) showed the same behaviour. Loading capacity, as well as r elease profile, of the two polymers were evaluated using fluorescein a s a model drug. Whereas both polymers showed almost the same release p rofile, there was a difference in the amount of encapsulated probe: hi gher aliquots for PICA than for PECA. Storage effects on such physicoc hemical parameters were also tested.