Solvent injection-lyophilization of tert-butyl alcohol/water cosolvent systems for the preparation of drug-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles.

A simple procedure involving solvent injection-lyophilization (SIL) was used to prepare solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). A tert-butyl alcohol (t-BA) solution containing lipids was injected into a stirred aqueous solution containing lyoprotectants to form SLNs dispersed in a t-BA/water cosolvent system. The t-BA/water cosolvent SLN dispersion was subsequently lyophilized to obtain a dry product which, upon rehydration, formed an aqueous dispersion of spherical SLNs with a size under 200 nm.