Preparation And In-Vitro Characterization of PLGA (50:50) Microparticles Containing All-Trans-Retinoic Acid

All-trans retinoic acid (atRA) is a vitamin A acid, regulates differentiation and proliferation of epithelial tissues. Antiproliferative effect of atRA for retinal pigment epithelium has been reported (1). It has been proved that atRA is effective to reverse the squamous metaplasia in conjunctiva, caused by dry eye syndrome (2,3). On the other hand, atRA possess clinical potential in the treatment of epithelial and hematological malignancies (4-6). In spite of the effectiveness of atRA in several therapeutic areas, clinical use of the drug is limited because of its side effects. Microparticulate systems may offer several advantages for the formulation of poorly soluble and chemically label drugs such as atRA, and also for reducing the possible toxicity and side effects of the drug. The objective of the present study is to prepare polylactid-co-glycolide (PLGA) microparticles of atRA and to evaluate their in vitro characteristics.