Preparation of polymeric nanoparticles containing corticosteroid by a novel aerosol flow reactor method.

Polymeric drug-containing nanoparticles were prepared using a novel aerosol flow reactor method. The polymeric drug-containing nanoparticles prepared consist of a poorly water soluble corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate, and polymeric materials Eudragit E 100 or Eudragit L 100. The novel method used in this study allows synthesis of nanoparticles directly as dry powders. The nanoparticles can contain various ratios of drug and polymer, and the use of any additional stabilisation materials is avoided. In this study, nanoparticles with different drug-to-polymer ratios were prepared. Particle size and morphology, crystallinity, and thermal behaviour were determined as a function of particle composition. It was found that all the nanoparticles produced, regardless of particle composition, had geometric number mean diameters of approximately 90 nm, and were spherical showing smooth surfaces. The drug was molecularly dispersed in the amorphous polymeric matrix of the nanoparticles, and drug crystallisation was not observed when the ambient temperature was below the glass transition temperature of the polymer.