1*Professor and Head, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Amrutvahini College of Pharmacy, Sangamner, Ahmednagar, 422608, Maharashtra, India. Email: nirmalpharmasolutions@gmail.com
2Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Amrutvahini College of Pharmacy, Sangamner, Ahmednagar, 422608, Maharashtra, India.
3Department of Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance, Amrutvahini College of Pharmacy, Sangamner, Ahmednagar, 422608, Maharashtra, India.
4Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Azara, Hathkhowapara, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India.
5Department of Pharmacology, Girijananda Chowdhury University, Azara, Hathkhowapara, Guwahati, 781017, Assam, India.
6Navsahyadri Institute of Pharmacy, Naigoan, Nasarapur, Pune, 412213, Maharashtra, India.
Cancer remains a major global health challenge, necessitating the development of effective and safe therapeutic strategies. The present study aimed to design and evaluate doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX)-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy. Nanoparticles were prepared using the oil-in-water emulsion–solvent evaporation method and optimized by varying the drug-to-polymer ratio. The prepared formulations were characterized in terms of particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), entrapment efficiency (EE%), drug loading (DL%), in vitro drug release, and release kinetics.
The optimized formulation (F4) exhibited a mean particle size of 132 ± 3 nm with a low PDI (0.19 ± 0.01), indicating a uniform size distribution suitable for tumor targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading were 86.3 ± 1.4% and 9.5 ± 0.4%, respectively, demonstrating efficient drug incorporation within the PLGA matrix. In vitro release studies revealed a biphasic pattern with an initial mild burst release, followed by sustained drug release up to 72 h, achieving 85.2 ± 2.3% cumulative release. Release kinetic modelling indicated that drug release followed the Higuchi model (R² = 0.978), suggesting a diffusion-controlled mechanism with Fickian diffusion.
Overall, the developed DOX-loaded PLGA nanoparticles demonstrated favourable physicochemical properties and controlled release characteristics, indicating their potential as a promising nanotechnology-based approach for improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity in targeted cancer therapies.
KEYWORDS: Doxorubicin hydrochloride, PLGA nanoparticles, Targeted drug delivery, Controlled release, Cancer therapy
How to cite this article: More VS, Kanawade MB, Bidwai PS, Ghose S, Rahman A, Jadhav SD. Design, Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of Doxorubicin-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Therapy. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(8s): 845-853; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.8s.94
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None