Parameters influencing size of electrosprayed chitosan/HPMC/TPP nanoparticles containing alendronate by an artificial neural networks model

Abstract

In this study, alendronate (Aln)-loaded chitosan (Ch)/hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose (HPMC)/tripolyphosphate (TPP) nanoparticles were generated by ionic gelation method, combined with electrospray. Then, an artificial neural networks (ANNs) model was used to identify the influence of factors including flow rate and concentration of HPMC, TPP and poloxamer concentrations on the size of nanoparticles. In the optimized formulation, the size of nanoparticles was 180 nm and 92 ± 17 nm by DLS and SEM, respectively. Also, PDI of the sample was determined to be 0.172. It was found that the size strongly depended on the TPP and poloxamer concentration. The presented method is a promising procedure in preparation of nanoparticles to be used in mucoadhesive oral drug delivery applications.