Starch/Poly(glycerol-adipate) Nanocomposites: A Novel Oral Drug Delivery Device

Vestri, Ambra; Pearce, Amanda K; Cavanagh, Robert; Styliari, Ioanna D; Sanders, Carlos; Couturaud, Benoit; Schenone, Silvia; Taresco, Vincenzo; Jakobsen, Rsmus R; Howdle, Steven M; Musumeci, Francesca; Sagnelli, Domenico

Abstract

Biocompatible and bio-based materials are an appealing resource for the pharmaceutical industry. Poly(glycerol-adipate) (PGA) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that can be used to produce self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs) able to encapsulate active ingredients, with encouraging perspectives for drug delivery purposes. Starch is a versatile, inexpensive, and abundant polysaccharide that can be effectively applied as a bio-scaffold for other molecules in order to enrich it with new appealing properties. In this work, the combination of PGA NPs and starch films proved to be a suitable biopolymeric matrix carrier for the controlled release preparation of hydrophobic drugs. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) was used to determine the size of drug-loaded PGA NPs, while the improvement of the apparent drug water solubility was assessed by UV-vis spectroscopy. In vitro biological assays were performed against cancer cell lines and bacteria strains to confirm that drug-loaded PGA NPs maintained the effective activity of the therapeutic agents. Dye-conjugated PGA was then exploited to track the NP release profile during the starch/PGA nanocomposite film digestion, which was assessed using digestion models mimicking physiological conditions. The collected data provide a clear indication of the suitability of our biodegradable carrier system for oral drug delivery.

Citation

Vestri, A., Pearce, A. K., Cavanagh, R., Styliari, I. D., Sanders, C., Couturaud, B., …Sagnelli, D. (2020). Starch/Poly(glycerol-adipate) Nanocomposites: A Novel Oral Drug Delivery Device. Coatings, 10(2), Article 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10020125

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 29, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Feb 1, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Journal: Coatings
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: 125
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10020125
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3881501
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/10/2/125