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Encapsulation of Cancer Therapeutic Agent Dacarbazine Using Nanostructured Lipid Carrier
Published on: April 26, 2016
EGCG intestinal absorption and oral bioavailability enhancement using folic acid-functionalized nanostructured lipid
Andreia Granja1, Ana Rute Neves1, Célia T Sousa2
1LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
This work aimed to develop folic acid-functionalized nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) loading epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to increase its oral bioavailability. An active targeting strategy was used and these nanoparticles (NPs) were fully characterized. The NP's effect on Caco-2 cell viability was evaluated and the apparent permeability (Papp) on a Caco-2 cell monolayer was determined. The results demonstrated that the developed NPs exhibited adequate physicochemical characteristics for oral administration and were found to be biocompatible with epithelial Caco-2 cells. Further, folic acid-functionalized EGCG-loaded NLC significantly increased EGCG transport across the intestinal barrier, promoting a 1.8- fold increase in its apparent permeability (Papp). Taken together, these results support that the developed NLC can be used as a promising carrier for safer and efficient management of several diseases since the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of EGCG were improved with this nanomedicine-based strategy.
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