FACTORS AFFECTING PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF NANOPARTICLES BY NANOPRECIPITATION METHOD

Nanoprecipitation technique for preparation of nanoparticles has emerged as one of the most viable methods of all available methods, owing to its advantages such as simple, rapid, economical and surfactant free preparation method. Several kinds of polymers, lipids, proteins, and cyclodextrins can be used as matrix for encapsulation of drug. Moreover, it can be employed to prepare nanoparticles of drug product itself without use of any polymer. Nanoprecipitation is achieved by slow addition of an organic solution of the polymer with or without drug in an aqueous solution (non-solvent) with moderate stirring at moderate temperature. Nanoparticles are hardened due to evaporation of organic solvent which are then collected by filtration, centrifugation or freeze drying. This article summarizes several parameters that may influence preparation of nanoparticles include types and proportion of solvent and anti-solvent, types and proportion of polymer and drug, rate of addition of solvent, stirring speed and processing temperature. Keywords: Nanoprecipitation, Nanoparticles, Nanocapsules, anti-solvent, stabilizers, surfactants