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Physicochemical Stability

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Lipid Nanoparticles: Production, Characterization and Stability

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Pharmaceutical Science & Drug Development ((BRIEFSPSDD))

Abstract

Recent advances in lipid nanoparticle research suggest that colloidal carriers have great potential for administration of drug molecules. The use of physiological lipids in their matrices presents the advantages of biocompatibility and reduced toxicity. The lipids are known to influence drug encapsulation, particle morphology and drug release properties, as do other excipients such as surfactants, water and drug molecules. The rationale behind using lipid nanoparticles is the improved delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. In addition, the lipid nanoparticles are expected to protect the drug from harsh biological conditions. The stability of lipid nanoparticles and the incorporated drug ensures improved drug efficacy. This chapter focuses on the physicochemical stability of lipid nanoparticle dispersions. The dispersion stability of pharmaceutical products is usually achieved by either of two stabilization mechanisms—electrostatic and/or steric stabilization. The destabilization mechanism, though undesirable when formulations are on shelf, can play a crucial role to in vivo applications where limited destabilisation is required for controlled drug release. A number of techniques such as water elimination or addition of specific stabilizers have been employed to optimize stabilization of lipid nanoparticle formulations. Although different measures have been taken to achieve the desired physicochemical stability, appropriate use of characterization tools to detect any destabilization in the system is necessary and will be discussed briefly here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Melbourne, VIC, 3122, Australia

    Rohan Shah, Daniel Eldridge, Enzo Palombo & Ian Harding

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  1. Rohan Shah
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  2. Daniel Eldridge
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  3. Enzo Palombo
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  4. Ian Harding
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Correspondence to Rohan Shah .

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Shah, R., Eldridge, D., Palombo, E., Harding, I. (2015). Physicochemical Stability. In: Lipid Nanoparticles: Production, Characterization and Stability. SpringerBriefs in Pharmaceutical Science & Drug Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10711-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10711-0_5

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