Preparation and Characterization of 5-Fluorouracil Loaded Nanogels for Skin Cancer Treatments: In Vitro Drug Release, Cytotoxicity and Cellular Uptake Analysis

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the in-vitro anticancer potential of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) loaded PLGA nanogels coated with nerolidol sesquiterpene. Methods: The emulsification-solvent evaporation technique was used for the preparation of plain PLGA nanogels (PNGs) and 5-FU loaded PLGA nanogels (FPNGs). A surface coating of Nerolidol (2%) sesquiterpene was employed to improve the penetration efficacy of the nanogels into the stratum corneum. Results: The nanogels formulation FPNGs have the size range 220±0.25% nm obtained by dynamic light scattering. The entrapment efficiency of approx ˜ 42% with a sustained-release pattern for 24 h was estimated at different pH ranges. The cell uptake and localization profile were revealed by confocal microscopy analysis using the HaCaT cell line. MTT assay demonstrated the cell compatibility of nanogels, confirmed by apoptosis assay depicting the apoptotic index of 0.87. Conclusion: This study concludes that FPNGs are a promising nanogels system against skin cancer that can be used to boost the chemo-therapeutic efficiency of bioactives with sustained and controlled release at the desired site.