BackgroundSolid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are colloidal carrier systems which provide controlled-release profiles for many substances. In this study, we prepared aqueous dispersions of lipid nanoparticles using a modified, pH-sensitive derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine.MethodsSLNs were prepared using polysorbate 80 as the surfactant and tripalmitin glyceride and N-glutaryl phosphatidylethanolamine as the lipid components. Particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential were examined by photon correlation spectroscopy. Morphological evaluation was performed using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry.ResultsPhoton correlation spectroscopy revealed a particle hydrodynamic diameter of 165.8 nm and zeta potential of −41.6.0 mV for the drug-loaded nanoparticles. Atomic force microscopy investigation showed the nanoparticles to be 50–600 nm in length and 66.5 nm in height. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated that the majority of SLNs possessed less ordered arrangements of crystals compared with corresponding bulk lipids, which is favorable for improving drug-loading capacity. Drug-loading capacity and drug entrapment efficiency values for the SLNs were 25.32% and 94.32%, respectively.ConclusionThe SLNs prepared in this study were able to control the release of triamcinolone acetonide under acidic conditions.

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Drug delivery systems DDS can be designed to improve the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of drugs. Targeted drug delivery, sometimes called smart drug delivery, is a method of delivering medication to a patient in a manner that increases the concentration of the medication in infective organs or cells, relative to others. Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide and innovative methods for cancer therapy are urgently required. Nanoparticles NPs , by using active targeting strategy, can enhance the intracellular concentration of drugs in cancerous cells while avoiding toxicity in normal cells. Nanoparticles with bioscience are being actively developed for in vivo tumor imaging, bimolecular profiling of cancer biomarkers, and targeted drug delivery. The advantages of the targeted release system are the reduction in the frequency of dosages taken by the patient, having a uniform effect of the drug, reduction of drug side effects, and reduced fluctuation in circulating drug levels. In this chapter, we focus on targeted drug delivery systems integrated from nanobiotechnology.

Epirubicin (EPI) is one of the potent breast cancer (BC) chemotherapeutic agents, but its adverse effects limit its efficacy. Herein, EPI was selected to be loaded in liposomal carrier, which has been targeted by a monoclonal antibody, Herceptin. The preparation process of liposomes was a modified ethanol injection method followed by Herceptin conjugation. The in vitro cell toxicity and cellular uptake of optimum formulation against HER2þ and HER2À cancer cell lines were evaluated. The results showed that the drug loading (DL%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of liposome preparation method yielded 30.62% � 0.49% and 62.39% � 8.75%, respectively. The average size of naked liposomes (EPI-Lipo) and immunoliposomes (EPI-Lipo-mAb) was 234 � 9.86 and 257.26 � 6.25 nm, with a relatively monodisperse distribution, which was confirmed by SEM micrographs. The release kinetic followed Higuchi model for both naked and immunoliposomes. In vitro cytotoxicity study on three different BC cell lines including BT-20, MDA-MB-453 and MCF-7 demonstrated higher toxicity of EPI in the Herceptin conjugated form (EPI-Lipo-mAb) in comparison with the free EPI and EPI-Lipo in HER2 overexpressing cell line. In addition, the cellular uptake study showed a higher uptake of immunoliposomes by MCF-7 cells in comparison with naked liposomes. In conclusion, these data show that the targeted delivery of EPI to breast cancer cells can be achieved by EPI-Lipo-mAb in vitro, and this strategy could be used for breast cancer therapy with further studies.