doi:10.1039/c6ra23620kengEspañol, L.Larrea, A.Andreu, V.Mendoza, G.Arruebo, M.Sebastian, V.Aurora-Prado, M.S.Kedor-Hackmann, E.R.M.Santoro, M.I.R.M.Santamaria, J.Dual encapsulation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs in PLGA nanoparticles by a single-step method: Drug delivery and cytotoxicity assaysART-2016-98829Dual drug encapsulation in biodegradable nanoparticles is always challenging and often requires strenuous optimization of the synthesis-encapsulation processes. This becomes even more difficult when the simultaneous encapsulation of molecules of different polarity is sought. Here we present a modified emulsification-evaporation process to produce polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) made of the biocompatible and biodegradable polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and co-encapsulating simultaneously two different drugs, the hydrophobic dexamethasone (DX) and the hydrophilic diclofenac sodium (DS). Three independent processing parameters were systematically modified to promote the incorporation of the different-polarity drugs into PLGA and to control the particle size under 150 nm. The careful selection of the appropriate solvents (ethyl acetate and methanol) was a key requirement for the successful encapsulation of DX and DS. DS and DX release kinetics as well as cytotoxicity assays underlined the therapeutic potential of the dual encapsulation strategy. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.2016http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/6150210.1039/c6ra23620khttp://zaguan.unizar.es/record/61502oai:zaguan.unizar.es:61502info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/321642/EU/Development of a microfluidic platform to produce nanomaterials and assessment on new nanotechnology applications/PLATFORM2NANOinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/614715/EU/A Photo-triggered On-demand Drug Delivery System for Chronic Pain/NANOHEDONISMRSC Advances 6, 112 (2016), 111060-111069by-nc-ndhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess