designing and manufacturing polymeric nanocomposite containing solid lipid nanoparticles as a drug carrier for topical delivery of acyclovir

Aim and background: acyclovir (acy) is a common treatment to control various types of herpes simplex virus (hsv). due to poor stratum corneum permeation, several nanoformulations have been used to improve acy s effectiveness in topical applications. the aim of this study was to develop a polymeric nanocomposite containing solid lipid nanoparticles (sln) as an acyclovir delivery system. methods: the acy-containing slns (acy-sln) were prepared by the inverse emulsion method and characterized by dls, sem, ftir, etc. then nanoparticles were added to the hydrogel matrix containing polyvinyl prolidone (8%wt) and polyvinyl alcohol (2%wt).then the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of the prepared nanocomposite were investigated using related analyses. results and discussion: in dls analysis, the acy-sln gained a hydrodynamic diameter of 248.1nm and a zeta potential of -23mv. the sem results confirmed an average size of 205.28±45nm. furthermore, the ftir of nanoparticles confirmed the presence of a c-oh bending peak at 1463cm-1, a c=o stretching at 1734cm-1, and a c–h stretching at 2916cm-1, all confirming the drug-loaded sln. the results of the mechanical characterization of the acy-sln/hydrogel nanocomposite revealed sufficient strength of the nanosystem to be used as a wound dressing. the in vitro drug release test also showed 53.33% release of acyclovir within 24h at ph 7.4. conclusion: based on the results obtained in this study, the acy-sln loaded in pvp/pva hydrogel can be used as a slow-release formulation for topical delivery of acy for oral herpes treatment.