Supercritical Assisted Production of Lutein-Loaded Liposomes and Modelling of Drug Release

In this work, a lipophilic ophthalmic drug, lutein, has been entrapped in liposomes, using a supercritical assisted process. Effects of pressure, temperature, and drug to lipid ratio variation were studied on mean diameters and lutein encapsulation efficiency. Liposomes with diameters between 153 +/- 38 and 267 +/- 56 nm were produced, and lutein encapsulation efficiencies between 86.5 +/- 0.4% and 97.8 +/- 1.2% were obtained. A Scanning Electron Microscope confirmed spherical shape and mean dimensions of vesicles. The variation of temperature for the production of liposomes showed a significant impact on lutein retention time in the double lipidic layer. Lutein drug release from liposomes produced at 35 degrees C ended in almost 4.5 days; whereas, liposomes produced at 40 degrees C showed a faster lutein release in 3 days; then, vesicles obtained at 45 degrees C released their lutein content in only 2 days. Drug release raw data were well-fitted using Weibull model (R-2 up to 99%).

Automated summary

In this study, a lipophilic ophthalmic drug, lutein, was encapsulated in liposomes using a supercritical assisted process. The effects of pressure, temperature, and drug to lipid ratio on mean diameters and lutein encapsulation efficiency were investigated. The release of lutein from liposomes was significantly influenced by temperature, with higher temperatures resulting in faster drug release.