Toxicity and bioactivity evaluation of interferon alpha-2b conjugated with solid lipid nanoparticles

Background: Interferon (IFN) are small proteins that belong to the cytokine family and may interfere with viral infections and some cancers. There are many studies focused on the PEGylated interferon’s bioactivity. In this study, we used solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) to produce new drug formulations, with the aim of reducing costs, increasing effectiveness, and also reducing side effects, and the biological effects of the formulation and comparing the obtained results with the interferon alpha-2b and PEGylated interferon alpha-2b. Materials and methods: In this study, we evaluateed the toxicity and bioactivity of three formulations: interferon alpha-2b, PEGylated interferon alpha-2b, and encapsulated interferon alpha-2b with solid lipid nanoparticles using the MTT method and cytopathic inhibition assay (CPE), respectively. Results: The toxic effects of interferon encapsulated solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN-INF) was comparable with interferon and PEGylated interferon. In addition, empty solid lipid nanoparticles had no toxic effects on cells. The SLN-IFN showed higher bioactivity than the other samples tested (interferon alpha-2b, PEGylated interferon alpha-2b) and maintained its bioactivity over time. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that interferon alpha-2b conjugated with solid lipid nanoparticles is a capable formulation with sufficient bioactivity and acceptable toxicity as compared to PEGylated interferon and can be applied in clinical trials in future studies.