Formulation and characterization of cellulose acetate butyrate nanoparticles loaded with nevirapine for HIV treatment

The aim of this study was development of polymeric NPs for efficient macrophage delivery of nevirapine for treatment of AIDS. Emulsification solvent evaporation method was employed to fabricate cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) NPs containing nevirapine. The effects of quantitative independent variables including polymer/ drug ratio, sonication time, water to organic phase ratio and PVA concentration on the different physicochemical properties of the nevirapine loaded CAB NPs were evaluated. The in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of NPs were evaluated by MTT assay and flow cytometery. The optimized formulation revealed a particle size of 305.76 +/- 5.7 nm with EE of 75.89 +/- 1.36%, zeta potential of -6.8 +/- 0.7 mV, RE4h % of about 54.41 +/- 7.21% and PdI of 0.29 +/- 0.03. Hemolysis study showed no lysis in RBC. The FTIR spectra demonstrated no interaction between the drug and the polymer. DSC thermograms revealed that nevirapine was in an amorphous state in the polymeric NPs. In vitro cell culture studies showed CAB NPs were non-toxic on macrophages. Fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometery tests indicated the NPs were successfully up-taken by macrophage cells. All these results suggested that the CAB NPs represent a potential carrier for efficient anti-viral drug delivery.