Pravastatin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles: Formulation, characterization and cytotoxicity studies

Pravastatin (PRV) loaded Chitosan nanoparticles (PRV/CSNPs) were employed as a novel carriers for liver cancer treatment. These nanoparticles were prepared by an ionic gelation method and characterized by FTIR and XRD. The prepared nanoparticles showed the spherical shape of nanoparticles having an average size of 129.8 +/- 10.5-270.4 +/- 23.3 nm, PDI in the range of 0.238 +/- 0.03-0.452 +/- 0.05 and zeta potential between 25.1 +/- 2.6 and 33.5 +/- 2.7 mV. The PRV entrapment efficiency of CSNPs was in the range of 49.05-72.04%. The in vitro release studies showed an initial rapid PRV release up to 6 h followed by a slow release ranging from 52 to 92% after 48 h following Higuchi's model kinetics. The in vitro cytotoxicity of PRV/CSNPs showed 51% HepG2 growth inhibition compared to 38% of free PRV after 72 h incubation. PRV/CSNPs can be considered as a promising carrier for cancer therapy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.