Polymeric nanoparticles are delivery systems used for encapsulating both medicinal compounds and cosmetic active ingredients. Encapsulation in polymeric nanoparticles increases the stability of the incorporated cosmetic active ingredient, and potentially allows for its prolonged release, targeted delivery, and delivery to deeper skin layers, which free compounds have more difficulty penetrating. Polymeric nanoparticles are a potential delivery system for peptide cosmetic active ingredients, such as nisin. Nisin exhibits antimicrobial activity and can be used as a preservative in cosmetic products. Microorganisms have more difficulty developing resistance to nisin compared to many other antimicrobial components. Nisin does not exhibit cellular cytotoxicity and is generally recognized as safe for use. Initially, it was used as a preservative in food products, followed by applications in biomedicine and cosmetics.
The aim of the thesis was to create polymeric nanoparticles based on chitosan and alginate with incorporated nisin. By optimizing the production conditions and formulation composition, we produced empty polymeric nanoparticles with an average hydrodynamic size of 670 nm and polydispersity index 0,54. Nisin was then incorporated into the developed nanoparticle formulation. The average hydrodynamic size of the particles with nisin was 641 nm, and the polydispersity index was 0,50. We monitored the physical stability of both empty polymeric nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles with incorporated nisin for up to 8 weeks. We found that empty polymeric nanoparticles in dispersion were not stable at room temperature, as their average size increased. In contrast, polymeric nanoparticles with incorporated nisin, when stored in the refrigerator, showed a decrease in average size over time, and the dispersion became less polydisperse. We determined that liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry is the appropriate method for quantifying nisin in polymeric nanoparticle dispersions, whereas the Bradford method is not suitable. We also found that increasing the amount of nisin in the nanoparticle dispersion does not lead to greater efficiency in the incorporation of nisin into the nanoparticles.
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