Preparation and characterization of novel anti-inflammatory biological agents based on piroxicam-loaded poly-ε-caprolactone nano-particles for sustained NSAID delivery

Abstract

Piroxicam (PX), a main member of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), is mainly used orally, which causes side effects of the gastrointestinal tract. It also has systemic effects when administered intramuscularly. Intra-articular (IA) delivery and encapsulation of PX in biodegradable poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles (NPs) offer potential advantages over conventional oral delivery. The purpose of this study is the development of a new type of anti-inflammatory bio-agents containing collagen and PX-loaded NPs, as an example for an oral formulation replacement, for the prolonged release of PX. In this study, the PX was encapsulated in PCL NPs (size 102.7 ± 19.37 nm, encapsulation efficiency 92.83 ± 0.4410) by oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method. Nanoparticles were then characterized for entrapment efficiency, percent yield, particle size analysis, morphological characteristics, and <i>in vitro</i> drug release profiles. Eventually, the NPs synthesized with collagen were conjugated so that the NPs were trapped in the collagen sponges using a cross-linker. Finally, biocompatibility tests showed that the anti-inflammatory agents made in this study had no toxic effect on the cells. Based on the results, it appears that PX-loaded PCL NPs along with collagen (PPCLnp-Coll) can be promising for IA administration based on particulate drug delivery for the treatment of arthritis.