Hybrid nanocarriers based on PLGA-vegetable oil: A novel approach for high lipophilic drug delivery

This study proposes the synthesis of a new type of hybrid polymer - vegetable oil nanoparticles (HPONP) as system for lipophilic drug delivery and controlled release. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) and Nigella sativa vegetable oil (NSO) were used to obtain HPONP, employing Izohidrafural (IHF) as lipophilic drug reference. Scanning Electron Microscopy presented perfect spherical structures like liposome of HPONP. The narrow sized (d = 139 nm, PdI = 0.18) HPONP registered good encapsulation capacity (56.8%). The release studies highlighted that the oil incorporation influenced the ability of nanocarrier to discharge the drug in a more sustained manner. According to IC50 and cytotoxicity data, the oil dispersion within the nanocarrier matrix decreased the cytotoxicity of HPONP-IHF as compared to standard PLGA-IHF. Biological assessment revealed a noteworthy antibacterial activity of HPONP-IHF against S. aureus (MIC 4.9 mu g/mL), double compared to IHF (MIC 11.7 mu g/mL) and five or ten times more active than PLGA-IHF or reference drug - Nitrofurantoin.