Thermo-Sensitizing Potential of 5-FU-Entrapped Edge-Activating Transfersomes: Optimization, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation

Abstract

The topical delivery potential of newly developed nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems has been extensively explored for enhancing the retention time of anticancer agents at the site of application. These systems are particularly advantageous for localized drug delivery, offering improved therapeutic efficacy with minimal systemic exposure. In this context, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was successfully encapsulated within a transferosomal formulation utilizing 30% soya lecithin. The optimized ratio of 5-FU to soya lecithin was determined to be 1:1. The resulting 5-FU-loaded transfersomes exhibited favorable physicochemical properties, with an average particle size of 35.58 ± 0.56 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.285 ± 0.125, and a zeta potential of +14.50 ± 0.8 mV. The formulation P-16 demonstrated the highest encapsulation efficiency, reaching 85.05 ± 0.58%. Further characterization was carried out using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses.