Formulation and Evaluation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles encapsulating Enzalutamide for Sustained drug delivery

Abstract

High surface area, chemical stability, low toxicity, and great photocatalytic activity are just a few of the exceptional physicochemical characteristics of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), an inorganic molecule that has been extensively researched. Because TiO₂ nanoparticles can encapsulate poorly soluble medicines and offer regulated or prolonged release, they have become attractive drug delivery vehicles in the field of nanomedicine This study reports the development and evaluation of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles as a carrier for enzalutamide to enhance therapeutic efficacy against prostate cancer. TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, drug loading capacity, and encapsulation efficiency (%EE). The optimized formulation exhibited a mean particle size of 95.1 ± 2.3 nm, PDI of 0.287, zeta potential of –11.2 mV, drug loading of 19.4 ± 0.6%, and %EE of 92.6 ± 1.2%. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed uniform, spherical morphology. In vitro drug release in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) demonstrated a biphasic profile with an initial burst followed by sustained release, reaching 78.5 ± 2.1% over 48 h. Cytotoxicity assays on DU-145 prostate cancer cells revealed significantly higher cell death with TiO₂–enzalutamide compared to free enzalutamide (p < 0.05), indicating enhanced intracellular delivery and antiproliferative activity. These findings suggest that TiO₂ nanoparticles are a promising platform for improving the solubility, stability, and bioavailability of enzalutamide in prostate cancer therapy