Development of new systems for controlled drug delivery

Abstract

The micro/nanoencapsulation involves a series of techniques that enable the manufacture of functional particles consisting of a carrier material (encapsulating agent) and an active substance distributed in their core. To obtain such systems, which can be used in controlled drug release systems, several methods are described in the literature, all of which depend primarily on the hydrophilic/organophilic properties of all materials involved in the synthesis. In general, these methods are divided into those involving in situ polymerization or the precipitation of a preformed polymer in the presence of the substance to be encapsulated. Among the last ones, spray-drying" technique presents some advantages such as a good control of the dried product properties, possibility of large scale continuous production, production of particles having different morphologies, high encapsulation efficiency and low cost. The choice of the most appropriate method must be based on a number of factors such as the type of polymer and active ingredients, application area, desired particle size etc. The purpose of this present project is to synthesize novel biocompatible/biodegradable and stimuli-responsive random and block copolymers and to study different techniques, including spray drying, for the incorporation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs into these polymeric matrices. Moreover, the kinetics of drug release will be evaluated by in vitro assays and cutaneous permeation tests. Thus, the main application in this project is the purchase of a "Nano Spray-dryer" for the encapsulation of different active agents. (AU)