The Effect of Process Variables on the Properties of Ketoprofen Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles of Beeswax and Carnauba Wax

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Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) have emerged as an alternative colloidal carriers for sustained release of lipophilic drugs with poor absorption and water solubility. This manuscript describes the effect of process variables on the production of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) from beeswax and carnauba wax and ketoprofen release from these carriers. It was found that by increasing drug content from 0.5 to 1.5% w/v the average particle size of SLNs increased from 82 to 116 nm and drug loading increased from 10.7 to 26.6% while entrapment efficiency remained almost constant (≈ 97%). Unexpectedly, the average size of SLNs increased from 82 to 150 nm by increasing homogenization time from 5 to 15 min. Increasing homogenization intensity from 11000 to 24000 rpm resulted in the particle size decrease from 108 to 82 nm. The rate of drug release from nanparticles loaded with 0.5% w/v ketoprofen increased with increasing the ionic concentration of phosphate buffer solution from 0.05 to 0.1 M.