Controlled Release 7-Methoxytacrine-Polycaprolactone Nanocapsules Drug-Delivery System for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment: Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Characterization

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent cause of dementia in aging people. 7-Methoxytacrine (7-MEOTA) is one of the approved drugs for the treatment of this disease. In the current study, a 7-MEOTA delivery system has been prepared based on the polycaprolactone nanocapsules (7-MEOTA@PCL) and its physico-chemical properties were investigated as well. The drug amount loaded in nanocapsules has been estimated 65%. The average particle size of the 7-MEOTA@PCL nanocapsules was around 237 nm with polydispersity index of 0.31 and negative surface charge (-21.2 mV). The prepared nanoparticles are stable upon 40 days storage at 25 °C, without any decomposition. The morphological analysis of the 7-MEOTA@PCL nanoparticles indicated that the nanoparticles are spherical, and free of any aggregation. In vitro release experiments revealed controlled release of the 7-MEOTA from the polycaprolactone nanocapsules. Application of the Korsmeyer-Peppas model to the release kinetics data showed that the release of the drug was by diffusion Fick's law.

Ivermectin-Loaded Mesoporous Silica and Polymeric Nanocapsules: Impact on Drug Loading, In Vitro Solubility Enhancement, and Release Performance

“…On the other hand, in polymeric nanocapsules, the IVM is encapsulated within the oily core of the nanocapsules. Therefore, drug release from nanocapsules occurs via drug diffusion through the semipermeable polymeric shell or by the dissolution or degradation of the polymer shell [ 69 ]. The release probably occurs because of the enhanced permeability of the polymeric layer, allowing the drug to be gradually diffused into the surrounding medium ( Figure 8 ).…”