Impact of PEG Content on Doxorubicin Release from PLGA-co-PEG Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) have become attractive vehicles for drug delivery in cancer therapy due to their ability to accumulate in tumours and mitigate side effects. This study focuses on the production of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded NPs comprising Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Polyethylene glycol with varying PEG proportions and the examination of their impact on drug release kinetics. DOX-loaded NPs, composed of PLGA-co-PEG with PEG contents of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%, were synthesized by the solvent evaporation technique, exhibited spherical morphology, and had sizes ranging from 420 nm to 690 nm. In vitro drug release studies revealed biphasic profiles, with higher PEG contents leading to faster and more extensive drug release. The Baker–Lonsdale model demonstrated the best fit to the drug release data, indicating that the release process is diffusion-controlled. The diffusion coefficients for DOX determined ranged from 6.3 × 10−18 to 7.55 × 10−17 cm2s−1 and exhibited an upward trend with increasing PEG content in the polymer. In vitro cytotoxicity tests with CHO cells showed that unloaded NPs are non-toxic, while DOX-loaded PLGA-PEG 15% NPs induced a greater decrease in cellular viability compared to their PLGA counterparts. A mathematical relationship between the diffusion coefficient and PEG percentage was derived, providing a practical tool for optimizing DOX release profiles.

Keywords

• drug-controlled release
• PLGA
• PLGA-PEG copolymers
• doxorubicin
• nanoparticles
• Baker–Lonsdale model