Belmont SURFS

The Effects of Duloxetine as a Lipid Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System in Depression Models

The use of duloxetine (DLX), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, has proven to be promising for the treatment of depression. However, the standard oral administration of duloxetine faces several challenges as it is easily metabolized and susceptible to degradation by hepatic enzymes, while also being limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which hinders drug access to the brain. This inefficient method for anti-depressant drug therapy may be rescued by utilizing lipid nanotechnology, which can provide a more efficient drug-delivery system due to their nature of high drug incorporation, sustained release, and bioavailability. Several factors affect the ability of solid-lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) as a successful drug-delivery system, including their particle size, entrapment efficiency, and loading content. To test this, the ratios of all solvents (Stearyl alcohol/Poloxamer 188/Tween 80/DLX) utilized in the synthesis of the SLNs were manipulated for the determination of the most optimal particle size and then observed with UV-vis spectroscopy for the analysis of drug content. In addition to calculating drug entrapment efficiency, the storage stability of the DLX-SLNs were also observed over the course of 4 weeks to determine potential changes in physiochemical properties. Results show that the 7.5/40/5 solvent ratio proved to be the most optimized formulation for the DLX-SLNs when comparing the particle size to the loading content of the drug. Over the course of 4 weeks, no significant changes in physiochemical properties were observed in the storage state of the nanoparticles. Together the data suggests that the optimal solvent ratio used in the synthesis of DLX-SLNs may be successful for future use as drug administration in the treatment of depression.