In situ encapsulation of praziquantel through methyl methacrylate/diethylaminoethyl methacrylate and MMA / DMAEMA miniemulsion copolymerizations in presence of distinct ionic surfactants

Abstract Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects primarily the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Although praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug used most frequently for treatment of schistosomiasis, PZQ presents unpleasant bitter taste and low solubility in water, which prejudice the implementation of pediatric treatments. For this reason, the main purpose of the present work was the production of stable nanoparticles loaded with PZQ through in situ miniemulsion copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) or dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). Due to the cationic nature of the comonomers, the use of different ionic surfactants was also investigated. Nanoparticles with narrow particle size distributions, characteristic average diameters ranging from 50 nm to 110 nm, and loaded with 20 wt% of PZQ were manufactured successfully PZQ encapsulation efficiencies were higher than 97 wt% and PZQ was homogeneously dispersed in the final polymer matrix. Finally, the use of a cationic surfactant with DEAEMA cationic comonomer led to more stable latexes because of the high absolute value of the zeta potential.