Microfluidic encapsulation of enzymes and steroids within solid lipid nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) production faces challenges, particularly for incorporating biologics.
• Existing methods present barriers in manufacturing and administration of biologic-loaded SLNs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel microfluidic production method for biologic-encapsulated SLNs.
• To evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and release kinetics of hydrophilic and lipophilic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within SLNs.

Main Methods:

• Development of an in-house microfluidic system for SLN production.
• Formulation of SLNs using various base materials.
• Encapsulation of trypsin (hydrophilic) and testosterone (lipophilic) as model APIs.
• In vitro analysis of particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release profiles.

Main Results:

• Achieved particle sizes ranging from 160 to 320 nm.
• Identified a lead formulation with high encapsulation efficiencies (47-90%) for both trypsin and testosterone.
• Observed sustained release kinetics, with prolonged release for testosterone and burst release for trypsin.

Conclusions:

• The microfluidic technique offers a significant advancement in producing SLNs, especially for challenging molecules.
• The method demonstrates environmental sustainability and potential for future in vivo applications.
• This approach overcomes key barriers in the manufacture and administration of biologic-encapsulated SLNs.