@article {Garcia2011,
	title = {{Tricyclic Antidepressants-loaded Biodegradable PLGA Nanoparticles: In Vitro Characterization and In Vivo Analgesic and Anti-Allodynic Effect}},
	journal = {Current Nanoscience},
	volume = {7},
	number = {3},
	year = {2011},
	month = {jun},
	pages = {345{\textendash}353},
	abstract = {Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have potent local pain blockade properties that could be of interest in relieving chronic pain states as neuropathic pain. The aim of this work was to reach a persistent control of nociceptive and neuropathic pain by means of an in- jectable controlled release system using lower than usual doses of TCAs. To address this issue, amitriptyline, doxepin and imipramine were encapsulated with poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) as polymer. Nanoparticles were characterized. The in vitro drug release profile and mechanism was evaluated, and the in vivo analgesic and anti-allodynic activity in front of heat-induced nociceptive pain and sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury, respectively, was tested. The mean{\textpm}SD particle size and drug loadings (\%) of the nanoparticles obtained were 420{\textpm}13, 480{\textpm}73 and 373{\textpm}25nm, and 40.46{\textpm}4.11, 31.09{\textpm}3.02 and 32.20{\textpm}3.20\% for amitriptyline, doxepin and imi- pramine, respectively. According to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, the release mechanism of doxepin was diffusion controlled, while a combination of Fickian diffusion and polymer relaxation/erosion of the PLGA matrix was involved for amitriptyline and imipramine. Af- ter local infiltration of nanoparticles in rats, the antinociceptive and anti-allodynic activity of the encapsulated drugs were long-lasting and higher than that observed from the solutions. Amitriptyline elicited the lower analgesic effect. Doxepin showed the most outstanding results and its encapsulation led to a 62\% and 229\% increase in antinociceptive and anti-allodynic activity, respectively. So, this drug could be considered as a therapeutical alternative in pain relieving treatments.{\textcopyright} 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.},
	keywords = {Anti-allodynia, Antinociception, In vitro release, Korsmeyer-peppas, Plga nanoparticles, Tricyclic antidepressants},
	issn = {15734137},
	doi = {10.2174/157341311795542336},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79956288549\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Garcia, Xavier and Escribano, Elvira and Colom, Helena and Domenech, Josep and Queralt, Josep}
}
