PHYSICOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON KETOPROFEN ENCAPSULATED IN PLURONIC F127 NANOMICELLES FOR DRUG APPLICATIONS

An important pharmacological property of micelles is the ability to increase the solubility of poorly water soluble drugs, which enhances their bioavailability. The goal of this study is to provide means to understanding the mechanisms by which Pluronic F127 micelles solubilize and interact with Ketoprofen (KP), a poorly soluble anti-inflammatory drug. Physicochemical methods including surface tension, dynamic light scattering and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used in this respect. The surface tension results prove that drug binds to the copolymer and promotes its micellization. Addition of KP entails increasing of the hydrodynamic radius of the Pluronic F127 micelles and is an additional proof of drug uptake. The absorption spectroscopy allows quantifying the drug-Pluronic F127 micelle interaction in terms of binding constant and Gibbs free energy of binding.