Abstract
The analysis of nanomaterials in pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations is an important aspect both in formulation development and quality control of marketed products. Despite the increased popularity of nanoparticulate compounds especially in dermal preparations such as emulsions, methods and protocols of analysis for the characterization of such systems are scarce. This work combines an original sample preparation procedure along with different methods of analytical electron microscopy for the comprehensive analysis of fluid or semi-solid dermal preparations containing nanoparticulate material. Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and high resolution imaging were performed on model emulsions and a marketed product to reveal different structural aspects of both the emulsion bulk phase and incorporated nanosized material. An innovative analytical approach for the determination of the physical stability of the emulsion under investigation is presented. Advantages and limitations of the employed analytical imaging techniques are highlighted.
Highlights
The technological and methodological advances in the field of pharmaceutical technology have led to an increasing interest in nanoparticulate drug delivery systems
The main requirement for a successful transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis is the formation of a film that is thin enough to transmit a sufficiently large number of electrons, so enough intensity falls on the CCD to give an interpretable image within a reasonable time frame
For analysis at room temperature, such samples are placed on a grid covered with a relatively stable supportive film of carbon or formvar with a thickness of 20 to 100 nm [2,11]
Summary
The technological and methodological advances in the field of pharmaceutical technology have led to an increasing interest in nanoparticulate drug delivery systems. In dermal drug delivery, significant amounts of research are devoted to lipid-based colloidal carriers within the nanometer range, such as liposomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles or polymeric nanoparticles [1]. These formulations are frequently adapted for cosmetic applications as well. The detection of solid nanoparticles among soft nanocarrier vehicles such as nanoemulsions is not feasible by standard techniques of particle size analysis such as dynamic light scattering. The identity and morphology of the nanoparticles cannot be determined in this fashion. In this respect, electron microscopy may offer a powerful solution
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