Bovine serum albumin nanoparticles as controlled release carrier for local drug delivery to the inner ear

Nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention for local drug delivery to the inner ear recently. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles were prepared by desolvation method followed by glutaraldehyde fixation or heat denaturation. The nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 492 nm. The heat-denatured nanoparticles had good cytocompatibility. The nanoparticles could adhere on and penetrate through the round window membrane of guinea pigs. The nanoparticles were analyzed as drug carriers to investigate the loading capacity and release behaviors. Rhodamine B was used as a model drug in this paper. Rhodamine B-loaded nanoparticles showed a controlled release profile and could be deposited on the osseous spiral lamina. We considered that the bovine serum albumin nanoparticles may have potential applications in the field of local drug delivery in the treatment of inner ear disorders.