Abstract

This work presents results of the preparation and characterization of nanoparticles for entrapping cytarabine, a chemotherapeutic agent. The particle size analysis indicated a uniform particle size. The study of the release of drug from nanoparticles exhibited a prolonged release profile as studied over a period of 16 hours. The drug release was constant from the 10^th to the 16^th hours, which showed that the formulation was successful for long-term treatment. The drug entrapment efficiency of the nanoparticles having the same ratio of polymer and drug was about 90.2%. The physical stability of the nanoparticles was good as studied over a period of 4 weeks. These results are promising for producing nanoparticles by entrapping cytarabine, which can be useful for cancer therapy.

Key words: Cytarabine, nanoparticles, in-vitro release, sodium tripolyphosphate.