An evaluative in vitro investigation of the delivery of cytarabine with RGD decorated solid lipid nanoparticles

To synthesise cytarabine-loaded SLNs modified with the RGD peptide as a ligand, suitable for effective cancer therapy.SLNs were synthesised by the high shear, hot homogenisation technique. A 2 level 3 factor analysis was used in optimisation. Particle size, zeta potential, poly-dispersion index and surface morphology were measured. Drug encapsulation, drug release, release kinetics, nanoparticle stability and chemical structure were determined. LIVE/DEAD® Fluorescence Assay was used to qualify cytotoxicity and Tryphan Blue assay to quantify.Cyt-SLNs exhibited a size of 161 ± 2.25 nm, a PDI of 0.49 ± 0.15 and a zeta potential of -19.8 mV. Entrapment fell at 88.87 ± 0.02% and release at 83.5 ± 0.95%. The in vitro release kinetics pointed towards a diffusion-based drug release mechanism. SLNs remained stable for 60 d. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that conjugation of the ligand with the RDG peptide resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability in both cell lines.Overall, the study suggests that RGD-SLN-cyt can be used for effective cancer therapy.