Methods for purifying and detoxifying sodium dodecyl sulfate–stabilized polyacrylate nanoparticles

Recent research in our laboratory has centered on studies of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide nanoparticle emulsions for use in antibiotic delivery. Our goal is to develop these nanoparticle emulsions for treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections such as those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. For this intended application it is necessary to ensure that the biological activity of the emulsion is due only to the drug attached to the polymeric chain and not to any extraneous components. To investigate this we evaluated cytotoxicity and microbiological activity of the nanoparticle emulsions before and after purification by centrifugation, dialysis, and gel filtration. Depending on the amount of surfactant used, all or most of the microbial and cellular toxicity can be removed by a simple purification procedure.