Synthesis of biogenic gold nano conjugate for increased efficacy and sustained drug release profile of saquinavir

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Background

Conventional anti retroviral treatment (ART) has been a core treatment for HIV over the past three decades. Despite the effectiveness of these drugs, most of them abide significant drawbacks such as poor bioavailability and undesirable side effects; thus reducing patient compliance and rendering treatment regime ineffective. This research work is an attempt to develop a dual pronged carrier system using gold nanoparticles (GNP) for increasing effectiveness and sustained drug release of saquinavir.

Methods

Leaf extract of / Azadirachta indica was used as an efficient sink for synthesis of GNPs by microwave assistance. Saquinavir (Saq) was attached onto GNPs that were pre functionalized by capping polypeptide linkers of / A.indica and characterized by FTIR. Percentage drug loading efficiency (%DLE) and release kinetics were studied by statistical model dependent method. Biocompatibility of drug nanoparticle conjugate was studied by MTT assay. Antiviral efficacy was assessed by quanti