Preparation, in vitro characterization, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic evaluation of chitosan-based plumbagin microspheres in mice bearing B16F1 melanoma

The present study was aimed to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy and systemic toxicity of chitosan-based plumbagin microspheres in comparison to free plumbagin. The optimized formulation had a mean particle size of 106.35 mum with an encapsulation efficiency of 80.12%. Pharmacokinetic studies showed a 22.2-fold increase in elimination half-life (t(1/2)) of plumbagin from chitosan microspheres as compared to free plumbagin. Administration of plumbagin microspheres resulted in a significant tumor growth inhibition and reduced systemic toxicity. These results suggest that chitosan-based microspheres could be a promising strategy for the systemic delivery of anti-cancer agents like plumbagin.