Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2023

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Eden Tanner

Second Advisor

Thomas Werfel

Third Advisor

Gregory Tschumper

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Mucosal barriers are a natural defense system for preventing the entry of foreign objects into the body; however, they pose as obstacles for effective drug delivery. Coated polymer nanoparticles have been proven to possess improved rates of diffusion across mucus compared to their uncoated, or bare, counterparts. When choline-based ionic liquids (ILs) are introduced to an aqueous system, their dissociation leads to an increase in solution conductivity which ultimately reduces the viscosity of mucus without significantly affecting its structure. Additionally, ILs are highly tunable, so they work well in a range of pHs and conductivities, making ILs an ideal choice for the improvement of nanoparticle diffusion. This study aimed to investigate whether the use of choline- based ILs have a positive effect on the dispersibility of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polyethylene glycol methyl ether-block-poly lactide-co-glycolide (PEG-PLGA), and polyethylene glycol–polylactic acid (PEG-PLA) nanoparticles through nasal mucus by using a multiple particle tracking method. The samples, according to the IL used, showed altered rates of diffusion in both the aqueous and mucosal environments. Additionally, UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to identify if the formation of complexes was occurring between the mucin polymer and the introduced nanoparticles. Finally, circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to analyze any potential changes in the secondary structure of mucin as a result of the introduction of polymeric nanoparticles. This research demonstrates the potential of choline-based ILs on polymer nanoparticles for intranasal drug delivery.

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