Pectin Films Containing Propranolol-Loaded Nanocapsules for Infantile Hemangioma Treatment

Hemangioma is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the skin, forming a benign tumor, mostly common in infants and children. Propranolol (PRO) is a non-selective beta-blocker used as an antihypertensive that has shown regression in infantile hemangiomas. Its oral administration comes with adverse effects, including a high risk for asthmatic patients, and only 25% of the administered dose is bioavailable. With that in mind, the incorporation of PRO into nanocapsules (NCs)-based polymeric films provides protection against degradation, prolongs its half-life, allows controlled release, and modulates its skin permeation/penetration. Given the above, this study incorporates propranolol Eudragit RL®100 nanocapsules in pectin films, obtained by the solvent casting method, and characterizes them for porosity and intumescence. Nanocapsules presented 151 ± 7.86 nm, 0.134 ± 0.01 PDI, and 25.64 ± 4.9 zeta potential. The pectin films (1%) were homogeneous and transparent. The porosity ratio was determined by the amount of absorbed solvent by the film sample after immersion in ethanol. Samples were obtained from vehicle formulation, free drug, NC-PROP, and blank NC films. The results obtained after 24h were 55.93 ± 3.13%, 49.91 ± 0.56%, 42.49 ± 2.05%, 41.74 ± 2.5%, respectively. This indicates that the NCs interact in a way that modifies the pores and creates a more effective barrier than the vehicle or free drug form. For intuminescence, the same method was applied, apart from the solvent being a pH 7.4 buffer, but all the film samples disintegrated and dissolved in the buffer, indicating a biodegradable matrix. The incorporation of PRO-loaded nanocapsules into pectin films resulted in homogeneous and biodegradable matrices with reduced porosity and promising barrier properties. These characteristics suggest that NC-PROP films can provide a controlled and localized drug release, potentially reducing systemic adverse effects associated with oral administration. Overall, this approach represents a promising strategy for the topical treatment of infantile hemangiomas.