Influence of the preparation method on the physicochemical properties of econazole-loaded poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) colloidal nanoparticles

This article describes the influence of the preparation method on the physicochemical properties of econazole-loaded poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were prepared by using two different methods – nanoprecipitation and emulsion polymerization. Three different non-ionic colloidal stabilizers (poloxamer 188, polysorbate 80 and dextran 40) were used to obtain nanoparticles with various surface coatings. The econazole-loaded nanoparticles were characterized for morphology, size distribution, chemical composition, zeta-potential, drug loading efficiency and drug content. It was found that the average nanoparticle size, yield and drug content depend mainly on the preparation method, while the utilization of different colloidal stabilizers resulted in nanoparticles with different ζ-potentials. The colloidal stability of the formulations was found to depend on the method of preparation, as well as on the type of colloidal stabilizer.