Abstract
Purpose:
Release of ocular drugs from nanoparticles should occur at a steady rate over a long period of time in order to increase the drug residence time and to avoid administering toxic doses. This study was performed to produce a novel nanoparticle formulation for delivery of atropine into the eye.
Methods:
Eight nanoparticle formulations were prepared using suspension polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a small amount of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate for crosslinking and methacrylic acid to produce a slightly charged surface. The volume of the organic phase, surfactant concentration, and monomer concentration were altered to determine their impact on nanoparticle size. Average particle diameter and polydispersity was determined for each of the formulations using dynamic light scattering. Images of the nanoparticles, obtained by transmission electron microscopy, were obtained to observe the particle morphology and confirm the size measurements. Factorial regression was used for statistical analysis. Drug release profiles from three of the formulations were developed using high pressure liquid chromatography with UV detection at 254 nm.
Results:
The average nanoparticle sizes and the standard deviations obtained from the formulations were 102.70 nm ± 0.92 nm, 97.83 nm ± 0.46 nm, 125.50 nm ± 0.89 nm, 105.87 nm ± 0.45 nm, 123.33 nm ± 0.87 nm, 119.63 nm ± 1.37 nm, 115.47 nm ± 0.91 nm, and 118.43 nm ± 0.67 nm.
Conclusions:
The results display the eight formulations consisting of novel polymer based nanoparticles that are capable of drug release have been produced. Further experimentation will be done to add a mucoadhesive component to the nanoparticles to allow for efficient front of the eye drug delivery.