Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to formulate and evaluate donepezil loaded nanoparticles for effective treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation of chitosan with poloxamer. Size and morphology of nanoparticles were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the donepezil nanoparticles were smooth and spherical without any aggregation. F6 formulation which had drug polymer ratio of chitosan and poloxamer was decided to be the optimized formulation based on in vitro drug release studies. Dissolution data based on two different methods was fitted in zero order, first order and Higuchi equations. The mechanism of drug release was determined by using Higuchi equation. There was no significant change in physical and chemical properties of formulation F-6 even after three months.

Keywords: Nanoparticle, Diffusion Study, Donepezil, Higuchi, Stability Study.