The effect of emulsifying wax on the physical properties of CTAB-based solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN)

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cetyl alcohol (CA) and Tween (R) 60 (polysorbate), the primary components of emulsifying wax, on the size, zeta potential and stability of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-based solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) by D-optimal mixture design. A binary CTAB/polysorbate surfactant blend did not offer an advantage over a simple CTAB-stabilized SLN. This led to the conclusion that emulsifying wax could be readily substituted with CA in simple SLNs based on binary CTAB/CA blends. Polysorbate, however, may be added as a co-emulsifier to adjust the physical properties of the nanoparticles, as dictated by the formulator.