Formulation and Evaluation of Pioglitazone Hydrochloride Loaded Biodegradable Nanoparticles

The present study was aimed to develop and evaluate nanoparticulate containing pioglitazone HCl as potential antidiabetic drug delivery system. The pioglitazone HCl -loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation of chitosan with tripolyphosphate anions at various concentrations. The nanoparticles were characterized by zeta potential analyzer; particle size analyzer and Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy. All the prepared formulations resulted in nano-range size particles (250-503 nm) with zeta potential (+30.70 to +40.50 mV). The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity were 54-77% and 29-52%, respectively. The in vitro diffusion profile of pioglitazone HCl from the nanoparticles showed a sustained release of the drug over a period of 20 hrs. Kinetic release profiles of nanoparticles appeared to fit best with Higuchi model with zero order and the non-Fickian diffusion was superior phenomenon. The results suggest that pioglitazone HCl loaded chitosan nanoparticles appears to be effective in management of the anti-diabetic activity.