Introduction

Nanomedicine has helped in the development of novel therapeutics. For example, the encapsulation of bioactive components such as peptides/proteins into polymeric nanoparticles can lead to increased bioavailability, passive targeting and sustained release. Snake venoms have proven to be rather interesting for the R&D of new medicines, as they can present antifungal, antiparasitic, antibacterial or antiproliferative activity. In the present study, we encapsulated venom from C. molossus in PLGA NPs and evaluated them for hemolytic activity, kinetic release profile and cytotoxic activity against T47D breast carcinoma cells.

Methods

PLGA NPs were produced by a double emulsion-solvent evaporation method. Briefly, PLGA was dissolved in dichloromethane, into which a small volume of snake venom resuspended in water was added. This solution was then emulsified by ultrasonication, forming the organic phase. Later, the organic phase was added to a stirring aqueous phase containing 2.5% PVA, and then emulsified again by ultrasonication. NPs were washed three times by ultracentrifugation, freeze-dried and stored at -20 ºC until use.

Conclusions

PLGA NPs serve as an efective encapsulation system for bioactive components such as snake venom toxins. We obtained NPs with sizes of ~250 nm, PDI of 0.10, a zeta-potential of -26 mV and an EE% of ~85%. PLGA-Venom NPs were not hemolytic unlike C. molossus venom and presented a sustained release profile. Finally, they were cytotoxic against T47D cells, providing helpful insights into the development of these novel drug delivery systems. More studies are requiered to evaluate the feasilibity of using these agents alongside nanoparticle systems.