| Abstract: |
Dated back to approximately a century ago, the origins of colloid and polymer science were accompanied by the development of the understanding of disperse systems. The inception of the analytical ultracentrifuge (AUC) also coincided with the rise of the macromolecular hypothesis. Originally, solution characterization techniques such as the AUC were developed as tools for the exploration of particles, proteins, and macromolecules of natural origin. The AUC, by now, is accepted as a characterization tool by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has also matured as a highly complementary and powerful tool in contemporary polymer and materials science, aiming at the design of nanoscale drug delivery systems. Those nanoscale systems often comprise multicomponent compositions (e.g., polymers, genetic material, drugs, targeting (dye) moieties, surfactants). To increase the potency of therapeutically valuable drugs for in vivo use, nanoparticles (NPs) as salient transport components for drugs, are of utmost contemporary interest.
Based on the above perspective, the modern application of an AUC in the quantitative study of engineered NP materials based on pharmapolymers, such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA, Resomer®) and methacrylate copolymers (Eudragit® E), is highlighted. The physically-consistent insight on those NP systems from rugged AUC investigations, compared to most widely applied (batch) dynamic light scattering (DLS) and field-flow fractionation (FFF) coupled to multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS), is compelling.
Next, the presentation will report on quantitative AUC data of nanomedical transport systems concerning formulation compositions. Those biomedical transport systems comprise the NP constituting pharmapolymers, encapsulated drug components, cell-specific targeting (dye) moieties, and utilized surfactants in formulations. The quantitative identification, (co-)localization, and tracing of all formulation system components in an experimental AUC setting is demonstrated. In view of a desired integrity analysis of NPs, studies are presented based on varying solution environmental conditions, e.g., varying pH values and temperatures, including drug behavior. Finally, quantitative studies concerning NP integrity in absence and presence of blood serum protein components as well as human serum at varying temperatures are discussed. |
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