Poly(hydroxyalkanoates)‐Based Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

Abstract

Poly (hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) have recently attracted a great deal of academic and industrial interest for their biodegradability and biocompatibility making them suitable for environmental and biomedical applications. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-) (PHB-) and Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-) based nanoparticles were prepared using the dialysis method as yet unreported for the preparation of nanoparticles based on PHB. Processing conditions were varied in order to evaluate their influence on morphology, drug encapsulation, and size of nanoparticles. The relevant results obtained give a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon occurring during colloidal formation. The adopted procedure allows for a relatively small diameter and homogeneity in size distribution of the PHB nanoparticles to be obtained compared to other methods like the one based on solvent evaporation which leads to particles on microscale. The biocompatibility of PHB and relative nanoparticles was investigated and both exhibited very good cytocompatibility.

Biocompatibility of Dead Sea Water and retinyl palmitate carrying poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) micro/nanoparticles designed for transdermal skin therapy

“…Similar observations, such as an increase in the size of PLGA particles, from 508 ± 127 to 531 ± 73.33 nm, after loading of a vitamin A derivative, were reported. 33 In our study, approximately 45% of the particles were smaller than 3 µm in all formulations and this range is suitable for transdermal penetration. However, the size should be smaller than 500 nm for penetration into the cells, and 25% of our particles were in this range indicating that a large fraction of the particles could penetrate the skin and a reasonable amount is suitable for endocytosis.…”

Advances in the Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanoparticles for Novel Drug Delivery System

“…PHB and PHBV have many advantages when compared to other chemically produced polymers like polyglycolate, polylactate, and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) which include excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, easier processibility, and the controllable retarding properties which can be modulated by variations in processing and molecular weight of the polymer composition. PHB in combination with other biocompatible and nontoxic polymers would also have an enhanced scope in biomedical applications [6]. The main advantage of using PHA in the medical field is that it is biodegradable and can be inserted into the human body, and it does not have to be removed again.…”

Fabrication of carbon nanotube (CNT)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) nanocomposite films for human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) differentiation

“…[7][8][9][10] PHAs and their modied block copolymers have been widely investigated for applications as tissue engineering materials. [11][12][13][14] The copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBHHx) is one of the few PHAs that are available in sufficient quantity. PHBHHx exhibits good mechanical property and better biocompatibility for applications as medical materials compared with some other biopolyesters.…”