Development and characterization of artemether loaded solid lipid nanoparticles

Malaria is a widespread infectious disease of humans but emergence of resistance has worsened the scenario. Therefore it is important to use novel carriers for treatment of malaria due to their advantages over conventional. Recently, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have recently received considerable attention as alternative drug delivery carrier. The objective of the present investigation was to explore the potential of SLNs for the intravenous delivery of artemether (ARM). SLNs were prepared using hot melt method. The SLNs were evaluated for particle size, shape, zeta potential, poly dispersity index (P.D.I.), entrapment efficiency, in vitro drug release and in vitro hemolysis. The antimalarial activity of ARM loaded SLNs and marketed formulation was evaluated in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the optimized formulation was found to be smooth, spherical and non- aggregated. Zeta potential and P.D.I of optimized formulation was found to be -31.45 mV and 0.025 respectively. SLNs containing artimether showed lesser haemolysis but better anti malarial activity comparable to free drug and marketed formulation in preventative stage. Artemether loaded solid lipid nanoparticles prepared by hot melt method is a significant delivery system for targeting liver cells for the treatment of malaria disease.