Influence of Surfactants on the Parameters of Polylactide Nanocapsules Containing Insulin

摘要

The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of nonionic emulsifiers on the characteristics of poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA) nanocapsules,which were formulated using an ultrasound probe by a modified water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsification and solvent evaporation method.The different types of surfactants were used in both steps as hydrophobic and hydrophilic emulsifiers,respectively.The effects of emulsifiers in modifying the size of the nanocapsules were compared with respect to their weighted hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value,and the size was also affected by the content of the emulsifying agent.The mean diameters of insulin-loaded nanocapsules ranged from 150 to 320 nm and were dependent on the types and content of the surfactants.The variations are due to the aggregation of the surfactants on the inner interface between the inner water and oil of the double emulsion.The encapsulation efficiencies and drug release rates were also affected by the addition of emulsifiers in the preparation process.