Effect of TPGS on the colloidal properties and the nasal applicability of thermosensitive Pluronic® F-127 micelles loaded with risperidone

Current literature lacks detailed characterization of polymeric nanocarriers against the various dosage form conditions. Design-of-experiment-based approaches lead to a specific aim with a specific active substance, carrier system, drug-delivery route, and clinical purpose. However, the same core formulation could be used for multiple purposes across varying environmental conditions. Nasal drug delivery gained a lot of attention in recent years due to its beneficial properties in increasing the bioavailability of various drugs. Current research aims to describe the effect and relationships between a thermosensitive polymeric micelle formulation base, encapsulating risperidone as a model active substance, and the main physicochemical parameters of nasal drug delivery (pH, viscosity, ionic strength etc.). Evaluation of intranasally suitable thermal changes revealed that the different conditions caused the colloidal properties of the polymeric micelles to change or, in some cases, remain unchanged despite the changes. The study also highlighted the importance of storage of nanoparticles, as solid-state storage conditions provided a 1-month stable formulation of polymeric micelles, with a size of approximately 25 nm, in monodisperse size distribution. The low critical solution temperature was also monitored, and under simulated nasal conditions, the nanocarriers exhibited increased, rapid, burst-like drug release and permeation profiles.