Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of naringenin- and gallic acid-loaded polymeric micelles for cancer drug delivery

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer nano-drug drug delivery system is important as it can improve drug bioavailability and reduce dosing frequency. Polymeric micelles (PMs) can reach targeted site and most likely will be useful in reducing side effects of treatment. This study aimed to synthesize naringenin- and gallic acid-loaded polymeric micelles for cancer drug delivery and to determine their physicochemical properties including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and structural composition. Methods: Two types of PMs (naringenin [NAR] and gallic acid [GA]) were prepared in different proportions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and D-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) via solvent casting method. These PMs were visually observed and further analyzed by dynamic light scaterring (DLS) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. Results: From this study, NAR-PEG-TPGS PMs showed particle size less than 30 nm whereas GA-PEG-TPGS PMs exhibited larger particle size between 171-205 nm. NAR2 PM that contain higher amount of TPGS were observed to have smaller particle size whereas GA2 PM with higher TPGS content exhibited larger particle size. PDI values for these drug-loaded PMs were between 0.32-0.74. FTIR results confirmed the presence of O-H and C=O stretching vibrations in all PM samples. Conclusion: NAR-PEG-TPGS PMs had shown more relevant physicochemical properties than GA-PEG-TPGS PMs for cancer nano-drug delivery.