Effect of solvents on the morphological characterization of enteric nanoparticles

Abstract

Size and external and internal morphologies of nanoparticles and microparticles are very important on the design of drug devices for controlled release. Random enteric copolymers such as poly (methacrylic acid-co-ethyl acrylate) and poly (methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) were used to produce nanoparticles, which contain a model drug and could be employed as drug carriers for proteins. The solvent effect on re-dispersion of such nanoparticles was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and revealed not only differences in size, but also several shapes, depending on the chemical nature of the polymer matrix and the non-solvent used. Acrylate containing copolymers in acidic aqueous dispersions lead to spheroidal particles. However for the copolymer containing methyl methacrylate, spheroidal particles collapsed in a "grenade" type morphology and besides some cubic structures are also formed. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) studies of the re-dispersed nanoparticles showed the strong tendency to form agglomerates not only in acidic water but also in hexane and the presence of bimodal size distributions.

Keywords

• nanoparticles morphology
• enteric copolymers
• solvent effect
• agglomerates