Stability of solid lipid nanoparticles in the presence of liquid oil emulsions

The dissolution of solid lipid nanoparticles (d ~200 nm, SLN) by mass transfer of lipid molecules from liquid oil emulsion droplets (d ~200 nm) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The mass transfer of n-tetradecane to n-eicosane SLN resulted in the dissolution of the SLN over the course of several hours. The rate of dissolution increased with the tetradecane droplet to eicosane SLN ratio and was greater in the presence of a micelle forming surfactant (i.e., polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) compared to a protein (i.e., sodium caseinate). The rate of mass transfer was slower in a triacyglycerol system (i.e., liquid droplets of Miglyol and solid droplets of palm stearin, SLN) but could be accelerated by the presence of isopropanol (1.4%) in the aqueous phase. This work shows that even if SLN can be stabilized against aggregation, they may still dissolve due to diffusion of the lipids through the aqueous phase. Even a partial dissolution of SLN can dramatically change their functionality as delivery systems.