Evaluation of Biosourced Alkyd Nanoemulsions as Drug Carriers

Abstract

Novel oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions were formulated using short, medium, and long oil length alkyds synthesized from palm kernel oil by a two-stage alcoholysis-polyesterification reaction. Alkyd/surfactant/water ternary phase diagrams identified a composition of 1% alkyd, 9% Tween 80, and 90% water where spontaneous production of nanoemulsions occurred. The pH, droplet size, and zeta potential of all formulations were in the range of 6.4–6.6, 11–14 nm, and −6 mV to −8 mV, respectively. Rheological studies showed that the nanoemulsions displayed non-Newtonian shear thinning behavior at low shear rates up to 20 s−1with conversion to Newtonian behavior above this shear rate. All nanoemulsions were found to be stable against phase separation on storage at 4°C and 25°C for three months. Short oil length alkyd nanoemulsions exhibited significantly higher stability compared with medium and long oil length alkyd nanoemulsions, as demonstrated by an absence of phase separation and only minor changes of droplet size on storage at an elevated temperature of 45°C for 3 months. The drug carrying capacity and storage stability of the nanoemulsions were assessed using phenytoin. The entrapment efficiency of alkyd nanoemulsions was in excess of 90% and loss of phenytoin content was restricted to less than 4% during storage of the nanoemulsions for three months at 4°C, 25°C, and 45°C. Taken together, these findings indicate that nanoemulsions prepared from palm kernel oil-based alkyds offer potential as nanocarriers for drug delivery applications.

Formulation Design, Statistical Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of a Naringenin Nanoemulsion to Enhance Apoptotic Activity in A549 Lung Cancer Cells

“…There was also a slight increase in the zeta potential (−9.78 ± 0.97 to −11.94 ± 1.52 mV) on storage at 40 ± 2 °C and 75 ± 5% RH for 3 months. Previous studies have reported a decrease in the magnitude of zeta potential [39]. The data are presented as the mean ± SD, n = 3.…”

Co-Delivery of Imiquimod and Curcumin by Nanoemugel for Improved Topical Delivery and Reduced Psoriasis-Like Skin Lesions

“…The viscosity of IMQ-loaded NE (NE1-NE4) remained constant with an increase in the rate of shear (>15 s −1 ) and exhibited Newtonian fluid behavior [28]. This is indicative of the unrestricted flow of droplets in the direction of the shearing force [29].…”

In Vitro Evaluation of Novel Phenytoin-Loaded Alkyd Nanoemulsions Designed for Application in Topical Wound Healing

“…Bhd., Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia) resulting in spontaneous formation of nanoemulsions. 15 Phenytoin-loaded alkyd nanoemulsions were prepared by dissolution of the drug in the oil phase (alkyd) before combining with Tween 80 and water, to produce final phenytoin concentrations in the nanoemulsion of 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL.…”

“…We recently reported the advantages of short oil length alkyd nanoemulsions as vehicles for topical application of hydrophobic drugs due to their ease of preparation by phase inversion, consistent nanodroplet size around 13 nm, physical stability on long-term storage, and favorable biocompatibility as demonstrated in fibroblast cell culture. 15 In the present study, alkyd nanoemulsions incorporating phenytoin were characterized in terms of their physicochemical properties and their effect on the proliferation of human epidermal skin cells in vitro to evaluate their potential utility for topical wound-healing applications.…”