Design and Development of Enzalutamide-Encapsulated PCL Nanoparticles for Prostate Cancer: A Box–Behnken Statistical Approach
Introduction, Materials & Methods, Characterization of Enzalutamide-loaded Polycaprolactone nanoparticles, Result and Discussion, Conclusion
Keywords:
Enzalutamide, PCL, IC₅₀, Prostate cancer, TEMAbstract
This study presents the design and development of Enzalutamide-encapsulated polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles for targeted prostate cancer therapy, employing a Box–Behnken statistical design to optimise formulation parameters. Nanoparticles were prepared via the emulsion solvent evaporation method and evaluated for particle size, entrapment efficiency (EE%), and zeta potential. The formulations exhibited particle sizes ranging from 148 nm to 219 nm, EE% between 70% and 92%, and zeta potentials from –13.4 mV to –32.5 mV, indicating good colloidal stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed spherical morphology, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed no significant chemical interactions between Enzalutamide and PCL, confirming compatibility. Cytotoxicity studies demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity of the optimised nanoparticles, with a lower IC₅₀ (14.27µg/ml) value compared to pure Enzalutamide (22.24 µg/ml), suggesting improved cellular uptake and therapeutic efficacy. In the pharmacokinetic evaluation, Enzalutamide-loaded optimised nanoparticles exhibited a threefold enhancement in AUC (34.42 µg·h/mL) relative to the pure Enzalutamide suspension formulation (11.30 µg·h/mL), reflecting improved systemic bioavailability. These findings support the potential of PCL-based nanocarriers as an effective delivery system for Enzalutamide in prostate cancer treatment.
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