Preparation and evaluation of sertraline-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles via multilevel categorical and D-optimal designs

Year 2025, Volume: 29 Issue: 6, 2317 - 2326, 02.11.2025

Özlem Çoban , Nurseli Saylam , Elif Serenay Baran , Leyla Küçüktemel

https://doi.org/10.12991/jrespharm.1797806

Abstract

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a natural protein that can form complexes in various forms. It is widely used in drug delivery due to its low molecular weight and biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic and nonimmunological properties. Sertraline (SRN), selected as a model drug in this study, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and has low water solubility. In current study, a series of SRN-loaded BSA nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by desolvation/coacervation method using Multilevel Categorical and D-Optimal designs to determine critical formulation parameters (CPPs) (BSA concentration, mixing speed, ethanol:water ratio and ionic strength). 20 different formulations were analyzed for particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential (ZP), encapsulation efficiency (EE) and nanoparticle yield (NY). In vitro dissolution studies were performed for selected SRN-loaded BSANPs, and F18 with 537.6±4.5 nm PS, 0.124±0.020 PdI, -36.2±0.1 mV ZP, 102.78±0.02% EE and 96.66±0.01% NY showed a release rate closer to the SRN suspension. Moreover, in TEM analysis, it exhibited spherical and grape cluster structures typical for BSA-NPs. In this context, we concluded that BSA NPs may offer potential applications as nanosystems for SRN.

Keywords

Bovine serum albumin nanoparticle , desolvation , coacervation , sertraline , multilevel categorical design , D-optimal designs

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