FABRICATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF NATEGLINIDE-LOADED ETHYL CELLULOSE NANOPARTICLES

摘要

Objective: The objective of the present study is to formulate freeze-dried oral sustained release polymeric nanoparticles of nateglinide (NTG) to decrease dosing frequency, increase bioavailability, and minimize side effects. Methods: NTG-loaded ethyl cellulose (EC) nanoparticles were prepared by solvent evaporation technique and subjected to various studies for characterization, such as particle size, zeta potential, drug loading (DL), entrapment efficiency (EE), scanning electron microscopy, and evaluated for in vitro drug release. Results: From this study, it was observed that the fabricated nanoparticles showed satisfactory results, i.e. particle size with 172 nm, 72.19% EE, ?15.81 mV zeta potential, and 14.30% DL. The results of in vitro release show that sustained release of NTG from the nanoparticles over the period of 12 hrs and comparable with the immediate release tablets. Furthermore, accelerated stability studies revealed that the formulation is stable as per International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. Conclusion: Thus, the nanoparticles formulation could be a promising delivery system for NTG with improved anti-diabetic activity, stability, and bioavailability.