Preparation of self-dispersed lignin-based drug-loaded material and its application in avermectin nano-formulation

In this work, the anionic and cationic lignin-based drug-loaded materials (SL/CTAB) with strong hydrophobicity were prepared by using Sodium Lignosulfonate (SL) via self-assembly. The obtained SL/CTAB was used as drug-loaded material and emulsifier to prepare avermectin nano-formulation, which can be automatically dispersed into nano drug-loaded nanospheres in water. The cold and hot storage experiments show that the physical and chemical stability of the nano-formulation is good. The nano-formulation exhibits controlled-release performance, and the cumulative release amounts range from 56.27% to 87.33% in 62 h. Meanwhile, the release rates slow down with increasing SL/CTAB dosage. After UV irradiation for 50 h, the retention rates of avermectin in the nano-formulation range from 46.67% to 63.41%, which is 2.18–2.96 times higher than commercial avermectin Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC). The experiment of simulated rainwater scour-resistance shows that the affinity of lignin-based nano-formulation to the Epipremnum aureum leaves is higher than EC formulation.