Glyceryl Behenate and Its Suitability for Production of Aceclofenac Solid Lipid Nanoparticles

The aim of this study was to explore the use of glyceryl behenate (GB) as a candidate lipid for the production of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) using the anti-inflammatory drug, aceclofenac, as an example. SLN were produced using the Gasco microemulsion method with three different lipids, namely GB, glyceryl palmitostearate (GP) and cetyl alcohol (CA). The prepared SLN were subjected to determination of entrapment, zeta potential, particle size, in vitro dissolution, entrapment efficiency and biodistribution. Stable SLN of GB having size 245 +/- 5 nm were prepared with a polydispersity index of 0.470. The size range was higher with other lipids i.e., CA and GP. It was found that as the drug lipid molar concentration was raised, particles with a smaller size were obtained irrespective of the nature of the lipid. The surfactant poloxamer 188 gave best results when used at a concentration of 2.5% w/v of dispersion. The study recommends GB as a suitable candidate for the production of SLN.