Comparative evaluation of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles of casein/poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) containing different concentrations of alpha-tocopherol

Abstract

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have been extensively used as colloidal materials for nanoparticles production designed for various purposes, including drug targeting, enhancement of drug bioavailability and protection of drug bioactivity and stability. In particular, poly (lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) as a polyester has been FDA approved for human use. In this research, the biodegradable polymeric nanoparticle of casein/poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) containing three concentrations of alpha-tocopherol was prepared. The comparative evaluation of these nanoparticles, including morphology, size, zeta potential, entrapment rate, spectroscopy, thermal resistance, and their release profile was carried out. The comparative results suggested that the sizes of derived nanoparticles were between 150 and 350 nanometers. In addition, there was a significant difference between the nanoparticles size and increase in alpha-tocopherol percentage used in this formulation (p<0.05). The accumulated results indicated that the highest entrapment rate belonged to 10 percent of alpha-tocopherol, and higher concentrations decrease the entrapment rate. The using of casein/PLGA can be optimized the characteristics and morphological properties of nanoparticles. The polymeric nanoparticles containing alpha-tocopherol can be used as a biologic preservative to improve drug delivery and consumer health.