[Preparation of tetrandrine solid lipid nanoparticles]

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

Context:

• Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) offer a promising drug delivery system.
• Tetrandrine (TET), a compound from traditional Chinese medicine, has therapeutic potential.
• Efficient preparation methods are crucial for optimizing nanoparticle formulations.

Purpose:

• To prepare tetrandrine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (TET-SLN) using ultrasonication and high pressure homogenization.
• To compare the physicochemical characteristics, including size, Zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and stability, of TET-SLN produced by these two methods.

Summary:

• Both ultrasonication and high pressure homogenization produced sheet-shaped, irregular TET-SLN.
• High pressure homogenization resulted in smaller particle sizes (47 ± 3 nm) with higher entrapment efficiency (97.82%) and better stability (52 ± 5 nm after 90 days) compared to ultrasonication (92 ± 6 nm, 95.27% entrapment, 168 ± 12 nm after 90 days).
• High pressure homogenization yielded a more negative Zeta potential (-32.99 ± 2.54 mV) than ultrasonication (-21.11 ± 2.12 mV).

Impact:

• High pressure homogenization is identified as a superior method for preparing TET-SLN due to improved particle characteristics.
• This finding can guide the development of optimized nanoparticle formulations for tetrandrine delivery.
• The study contributes to the advancement of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems derived from natural products.