Olufemi David Akilo
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Title: An in vitro evaluation of carmustine-loaded Nano-co-Plex for potential magnetically targeted intranasal delivery to the brain for brain tumor management
Biography
Biography: Olufemi David Akilo
Abstract
The aim of this work was to synthesize polyvinyl alcohol/polyethyleneimine/folate (Polyplex) complex coated Magnetite (Nano-co-Plex) with superparamagnetic capability and targeting attributes loaded with carmustine (BCNU) for potential magnetically targeted delivery of BCNU to the brain following intranasal administration for brain tumor management. This was achieved by co-precipitation reaction of Fe2+ and Fe3+ at high pH under N2, epoxidation of PVA and EDC/NHS coupling reaction of Folate with PEI. Drug loading was carried out in the dark. The release study was carried out by dispersing the dried BCNU-Nano-co-Plex in PBS pH 7.4 at 37°C. The formulation was characterized employing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Zetasizer, Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. FTIR spectra confirmed the synthesis of BCNU-loaded Polyplex coated Magnetite. The morphology, size and stability of the formulation showed hexagonally shaped particles with average size of 45nm with zeta potential of +21mV and poly dispersity index (PDI) of 0.22. XRD results further confirmed the crystalline nature of the formulation. The thermal analysis indicated that 1/3 of the total weight of the formulation constituted the drug-loaded polymeric coating. The magnetic studies showed superparamagnetic attribute of the formulation with high magnetization value. The loading capacity of the synthesized Nano-co-Plex was efficient for BCNU. The release profiles indicated a sustainable release of BCNU, with up to 75% of drug released after 72 hours. BCNU-loaded Nano-co-Plex was synthesized successfully.