Preparation of poly(lactic acid)/chitosan nanoparticles for anti-HIV drug delivery applications

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/chitosan (CS) nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion method for anti-HIV drug delivery applications. The prepared PLA/CS nanoparticles were characterized using DLS, SEM, and FTIR. The hydrophilic antiretroviral drug Lamivudine was loaded into PLA/CS nanoparticles. The encapsulation efficiency and in-vitro drug release behaviour of drug loaded PLA/CS nanoparticles were studied using UV spectrophotometer. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the PLA/CS nanoparticles using MTT assay was also studied. The in-vitro drug release studies showed that drug release rate was lower in the acidic pH when compared to alkaline pH. This may due to repulsion between H+ ions and cationic groups present in the polymeric nanoparticles. Drug release rate was found to be higher in the 6% drug loaded formulation when compared to 3% drug loaded formulation. These results indicated that the PLA/CS nanoparticles are a promising carrier system for controlled delivery of anti-HIV drugs.