| dc.description.abstract | In cancer treatments, the major problem is the target release of drugs to cancer cells.
Due to leaky vasculature and poor lymphatic drainage, molecules in the nanometer
range can accumulate near cancerous tissues rather than normal tissues, known as
the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR). In this study starch obtained
from Manihot esculenta (cassava) was used to synthesize drug-loaded acetylated
cassava starch nanoparticles (ACSNP). Acetylated starch was synthesized by an
esterification reaction using acetic anhydride and acetic acid as reactants. The
nanoprecipitation method was applied for the preparation of ACSNP by using
acetone as the solvent and water as the anti-solvent. The Flueggea leucopyrus (FL)
has been used in the treatments of cancers in Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka. The
major active ingredient found in the FL leaves is bergenin. The leaf extract of FL was
encapsulated into ACSNP due to hydrogen bonding interactions between active
ingredients and the ACSNP. The mean particle diameter of drug loaded ACSNP was
183.8 nm, determined by dynamic light scattering. Loading efficiency (LE%) and
loading capacity (LC%) were determined by UV-Vis spectrum, showing clear
absorption peaks at 217 nm and 273 nm specific for bergenin in the leaves extract.
The LE% and LC% were 54.09% and 27.76% respectively. The drug release studies
showed that ACSNP allowed the immediate release of bergenin at pH 5.6 (acidic pH).
These results indicate that ACSNP is a promising vehicle for the loading of natural
anticancer drugs and a potential candidate for targeted anticancer drug delivery. | en_US |
