Preparation and characterization of N-benzyl-N,O-succinyl chitosan polymeric micelles for solubilization of poorly soluble non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the solubilization of poorly water-soluble non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in N-benzyl-N,O-succinyl chitosan (BSCS) polymeric micelles Methods: BSCS was synthesized by reductive amination and succinylation, respectively. NSAIDs; meloxicam (MX), piroxicam (PRX), ketoprofen (KP) and indomethacin (IND) were entrapped in the hydrophobic inner cores by evaporation method. The effects of drug structure on loading efficiency, particle size and surface charge of micelles were investigated. Results: The critical micelle concentration of BSCS micelles was 0.0385 mg/mL and cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cells depends on the polymer concentration (IC50 = 3.23 ± 0.08 mg/mL). BSCS micelles were able to entrap MX, PRX, KP and IND and also improve the solubility of drugs. Drug loading efficiency was highly dependent on the drug molecules. The drug loading capacity of these BSCS micelles was in the following rank order: KP (282.9 µg/mg) > PRX (200.8 µg/mg) > MX (73.7 µg/mg) > IND (41.2 µg/mg). The highest loading efficiency was observed in KP-loaded BSCS micelles due to the attractive force between phenyl groups of KP and benzyl groups of the polymer. Particle size and surface charge were in the range of 312 - 433 nm and -38 to -41 mV, respectively. Conclusion: BSCS copolymer presents desirable attributes for enhancing the solubility of hydrophobic drugs. Moreover, BSCS polymeric micelles might be beneficial carrier in a drug delivery system.