Preparation of Drug-Loaded PLGA-PEG Nanoparticles by Membrane-Assisted Nanoprecipitation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work is to develop a scalable continuous system suitable for the formulation of polymeric nanoparticles using membrane-assisted nanoprecipitation. One of the hurdles to overcome in the use of nanostructured materials as drug delivery vectors is their availability at industrial scale. Innovation in process technology is required to translate laboratory production into mass production while preserving their desired nanoscale characteristics. METHODS: Membrane-assisted nanoprecipitation has been used for the production of Poly[(D,L lactide-co-glycolide)-co-poly ethylene glycol] diblock) (PLGA-PEG) nanoparticles using a pulsed back-and-forward flow arrangement. Tubular Shirasu porous glass membranes (SPG) with pore diameters of 1 and 0.2 µm were used to control the mixing process during the nanoprecipitation reaction. RESULTS: The size of the resulting PLGA-PEG nanoparticles could be readily tuned in the range from 250 to 400 nm with high homogeneity (PDI lower than 0.2) by controlling the dispersed phase volume/continuous phase volume ratio. Dexamethasone was successfully encapsulated in a continuous process, achieving an encapsulation efficiency and drug loading efficiency of 50% and 5%, respectively. The dexamethasone was released from the nanoparticles following Fickian kinetics. CONCLUSIONS: The method allowed to produce polymeric nanoparticles for drug delivery with a high productivity, reproducibility and easy scalability.

Polymeric Nanomaterials as Nanomembrane Entities for Biomolecule and Drug Delivery.

BACKGROUND: Bio-nanomaterials assembled into nanomembrane entities are actively studied to circumvent the uncontrollable list of shortcomings of conventional delivery systems: low water solubility, unfavorable stability, short circulation time in plasma, rapid clearance from the human body, poor bioavailability, non-specific toxicity against normal tissue and cells, low cellular uptake and susceptibility to enzyme degradation. Basically, these nanoentities enable to exploit the therapeutic value of many promising biomolecules and drugs (B&D), controlling the mass transport of B&D at a certain rate or even on demand if a stimulus is applied. The large surface-to-volume ratio of bio-nanomaterials as well as their tunable properties enable to increase the biocompatibility, bioavailability, solubility and permeability of many unique B&D which are otherwise difficult to deliver. RESULTS: This review paper will focus on the last advances of bio-nanomaterials applied as nanomembranes in biomolecule and drug delivery, as well as their more remarkable properties and applications in biomedicine. CONCLUSION: New advances have been drastically established in the production of smart nanomembranes that alter their own structure and function in response to the environment. These new insights have been used for the production of smart drug delivery nanomembranes. These nanomembranes entities have the potential to revolutionize the biomedicine but there are still some shortcomings to address in order to translate the laboratory production to the clinic.