Nanoemulsion Particles in Drug Delivery
Resolution capability for nanoemulsion particle imaging |
At present, imaging data of actual sizes and shapes of nanoemulsion particles are rare. Conventional AFMs have not had sufficient resolution. In electron microscopy, heavy metals required for visibility distort sizes, and particles below 80 nm are not usually found.
Paclitaxel (TAXOL®) Injection is a widely-used chemotherapy drug against breast and ovary cancers. It is formulated with paclitaxel, a small molecule, as a nanoemulsion in a nonaqueous solution of 1:1 polyoxyethylated castor oil and ethanol.
Much current drug research is focused on improving physical and chemical aspects of the formulation to increase dosage while minimizing side effects.
With lifeScan AFM, it is possible to directly compare size parameters of newer drug formulations and Paclitaxel Injection, and evaluate nanoemulsions in general.
Samples and analysis were provided by Dr. Hoang-Lan Nguyen, Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals Inc., NY.
Paclitaxel Injection Nanoemulsion Particles Imaged
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Paclitaxel was diluted into water and scanned hydrated in 1000 nm field sizes using super sharp silicon tips from NanoSensors/NanoWorld AG. |
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Color-coding the Z scale facilitates analyses of size and shape and the 2.8 nm maximum height ensures visibility of the smallest particles. |
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Data at each pixel are averaged using a local Gaussian restricted to neighboring pixels to reduce statistical variability.
Corrected mean width of Paclitaxel nanoemulsion particles measured in lifeScan is 17.62 nm ± 3.54 SD, N=43.
Mean diameter of particles measured by photon correlation spectroscopy (set for Multimodal Size Distribution) is 15.5 nm.
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