In vitro release and cytotoxicity activity of 5-fluorouracil entrapped polycaprolactone nanoparticles

In this study, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) entrapped polycaprolactone nanoparticles (5-FU- PCNPs) have been prepared using double emulsion method. The different factors were examined for assembly to arrive at the best effective formulation of 5-FU-PCNPs formulation for 5-FU–PCNPs, as polymer concentration, stabilizer concentration. The encapsulation efficiency of PCNPs was in the range of 18.8–45.4%. The prepared nanoparticles showed the spherical shape having an average size of 183–675.5 nm, whereas TEM exhibited the prepared nanoparticles have a spherical shape. FTIR, XRPD, confirmed successful insertion of drug in prepared PCNPs. In vitro release of 5-FU from selected formulations showed sustained release from the nanoparticles where slower release was observed when lower PVA concentration was used. Anticancer activity was examined against cell culture for HCT-116 (human colorectal carcinoma), MCF-7(human breast adenocarcinoma), HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and A549 (human lung carcinoma) for six formulations 5-FU–PCNPs nanoparticles. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of the prepared formulations was tested showing that these formulations appeared as promising active anticancer formulations.