SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND in Vitro CYTOTOXICITY OF Acacia Mearnsii PROANTHOCYANIDIN LOADED PLGA MICROPARTICLES

One of the highlighted areas in the development of new materials is the generation of micro- and nanoparticles as drug carriers which allow the progress in formulations with the ability to release active agents in a controlled way. The proanthocyanidins (PAC) extracted from the bark of the Black Wattle have stood out for their biological activities. However, most polyflavonoids have some features which limit their application in the pharmaceutical field, such as light fastness, low bioavailability of active agents, and unpleasant taste. In this context, this study aims to present the synthesis and characterization of PAC-loaded lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microparticles obtained by the multiple emulsion method. The incorporation of PAC into PLGA was successfully achieved with PAC encapsulation efficiency around 73%. Spherical microparticles were obtained with a size distribution in the range of 0.6 to 2.4 μm. The presence of PAC modified the thermal properties of the PLGA matrix. The results of in vitro assays with Vero and T24 lineage celss showed that PLGA/PAC microparticles did not promote any effect on cell proliferation by MTT assay after 24 h. The novel Acacia mearnsii proanthocyanidin-loaded PLGA microparticles have potential for application in biological systems.