In recent years, nanotechnology has become one of the most promising fields in pharmacy. The development of nanoparticles is a hot topic in pharmaceutical nanotechnology because it offers a number of advantages over conventional drug delivery systems. Most nanoparticles are usually prepared in the form of dispersions, which are susceptible to vary instabilities. To improve the physical and chemical stability of nanoparticle dispersions, various approaches have been investigated in recent years, including the conversion of nanoparticle dispersions into a more stable dry form by different drying methods. Drying of nanoparticle dispersions is an important technological challenge. With the drying methods developed so far, it is difficult to produce a dry, non-powdered product, while preventing the aggregation of nanoparticles during the drying process and thus preserving their original size. Therefore, the aim of this Master's thesis was to investigate electrospinning as an alternative method for converting dispersions of nanoparticles into a dry form that would overcome the drawbacks of current drying methods. To successfully convert the aforementioned nanoparticle dispersions into a dry form, polyethylene oxide and poloxamer 188 (in a 1:1 weight ratio), which have been shown to be suitable for the preparation of a dry, easily dispersible product, were added to ethanol (magnetic nanoparticles) or aqueous (polymeric nanoparticles) dispersions before the electrospinning process. By systematic increase in the content of nanoparticles in the dry product, we determined the maximum content of nanoparticles in the dry product, which still ensured their adequate redispersion from the dry product. We successfully incorporated up to 50% (w/w) of magnetic nanoparticles or up to 11% (w/w) of polymer nanoparticles into dry product. Unlike other methods for drying nanoparticle dispersions, the electrospinning method allowed us to produce a dry product with nanoparticles in a non-powder form, which is important from a safety perspective. The dry product with magnetic nanoparticles, prepared from the ethanol dispersion, was in the form of nanofibers, whereas the dry product with polymeric nanoparticles prepared from the aqueous nanoparticle dispersions, was not. We assume that the difference in product morphology is due to the influence of the dispersion medium on the behaviour of the polymers during electrospinning. Despite the differences in morphology, the nanoparticles were successfully reconstituted from both types of dry product by simple shaking.
|
