Poly(acrylic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles designed for ophthalmic drug delivery

Abstract

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), four-arm, amine-terminated particles with nanometer size and spherical shape were obtained by the polymers cross-linking, via activation with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride, in a w/o emulsion. The morphology and surface charge of the final particles are strongly dependent on the molar ratio of PAA-PEG and the PAA concentration. The physicochemical characteristics correlated with the drug-loading capacity, in vitro and ex vivo release kinetics of pilocarpine hydrochloride and biocompatibility results indicate that these nanoparticles exhibit the prerequisite behavior for use as carriers of ophthalmic drugs.

Keywords: biocompatibility; controlled release/delivery; formulation; nanoparticles; ophthalmic carriers; poly (acrylic acid); poly (ethylene glycol) four arms amine terminated; polymeric biomaterials; w/o emulsion.