Pioneering Study on the Development of a Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Using Natural Products Derived from Bati Oil and Ucuuba Butter
Bati oil, Ucuuba butter, Nanostructured lipid carrier, preformulation study, Behnken box design
This study presents an innovative approach by exploring vegetable fats— specifically bati oil and ucuuba butter, found in Brazilian biomes—and utilizing them as a biocompatible lipid matrix to formulate Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs). Initially, a cytotoxicity study of the fats on human keratinocytes and a characterization of their fatty acids were conducted. Subsequently, the physical mixture of the lipids was studied and characterized using FTIR, thermal analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Pre-formulation studies, a Box-Behnken experimental design, and system functionalization with chitosan were also carried out. Further studies involved characterizing the optimized, chitosan-functionalized nanosystems (via Scanning Electron Microscopy, FTIR, encapsulation efficiency, and drug content analysis), as well as assessing stability, protein corona formation (with albumin and hydrolyzed collagen), and carrier cell viability. No toxicity was observed for the tested concentrations. Bati oil is composed primarily of linoleic acid (43.16%), while ucuuba butter is rich in capric acid (32.87%). A bati:ucuuba ratio of 7:3 was selected for the continuation of the study. The surfactants Lipoid® S100 and Pluronic® F68, combined with a sonication amplitude of 60% and a duration of 120 seconds, yielded the best conditions. The most promising NLC from the experimental design exhibited a mean diameter of 109.2 ± 0.9 nm, a PdI of 0.36 ± 0.03, and a zeta potential of -22 ± 1.4 mV. The functionalized CLN showed the best conditions with 0.2% chitosan, exhibiting a mean diameter of 176.8 ± 2.82 nm, a PdI of 0.27 ± 0.01, and a zeta potential of 41.8 ± 1.10 mV. SEM analysis revealed that the nanosystems had uniform, spherical shapes. The encapsulation efficiency of the optimized system was 92.76 ± 2.51%, and the drug content was 51.94 ± 1.41 mg/mL. The optimized nanosystem remained stable at 25°C for 90 days. The functionalized nanosystem remained stable at 25°C for 30 days and maintained cell viability, exhibiting physicochemical properties suitable for future pharmaceutical applications.