THE INFLUENCE OF THE FORMULATION FACTORS ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF DEXTRAN ASSOCIATED GANTREZ® AN NANOPARTICLES

Gantrez (R) AN (a copolymer between methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride) nanoparticles were prepared by the solvent displacement method, and different dextrans with different molecular weight were associated to these nanoparticles in order to modify their surface characteristics. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized in terms of size, zeta potential, amount of dextran associated and dextran association efficiency. Using multifactorial analysis, we have studied the influence of formulation factors on nanoparticles' characteristics mentioned above. The formulation factors studied were the following: the type of dextran used, the preparation method, the incubation time of dextran with the polymer and the quantity of dextran used. The molecular weight of dextran used was the major factor that influenced all nanoparticle properties evaluated, while the other factors studied had limited influence on nanoparticles' characteristics.