ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of factors (pH, enzymes, etc.) chosen partially to mimic in vivo conditions on the release of a model drug, indium oxine, from polyepsiloncaprolactone (PCL) nanocapsules in vitro. A nanocapsule suspension, an emulsion (O/W), and a solution in olive oil were prepared in order to compare the release of a radioactive tracer, indium oxine, as a function of time by an in vitro dialysis method. Nanocapsules were prepared by interfacial deposition of PCL and characterized by particle size distribution (laser light scattering) and determination of the polymer molecular weight by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results of this study suggest that the partition coefficient between the acceptor medium and the olive oil is the major parameter governing the release of the isotope, at least in the absence of significant enzyme activity. The PCL wall of nanocapsules is a barrier that does not seem to retard the release of indium. The addition of porcine liver esterases accelerated the degradation of PCL. This study confirms that the release of a drug from nanocapsules may be very different depending on the in vivo location, that is, the administration site.
