Aim: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing both paclitaxel (PTX) and gemcitabine hydrochloride (GEM) were prepared and the effect of lyophilization and spray drying on physicochemical characteristics of these nanoparticles were evaluated.
Methods: Nanoemulsions were prepared by oil-in-water emulsion solvent diffusion technique using sonication and high-pressure homogenization. Nanoemulsion was dried using lyophilization or spray drying and drug content analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Results: The particle size of the nanoemulsion was 183.6 ± 10.8 nm and the entrapment efficiency for PTX and GEM was 72.01 ± 1.35% and 6.95 ± 3.97%. Many properties including particle size, stability, surface morphology, moisture content, release characteristic and cellular uptake in MDCK and MDA-MB-231 cells were affected by the method of drying.
Conclusion: The lyophilized nanoparticles were smaller in size with higher stability and cellular uptake than spray-dried nanoparticles.
Keywords: MDA-MB-231 cells; MDCK; PLGA; gemcitabine; lyophilization; paclitaxel; spray drying.