Steric stabilisers govern the colloidal and chemical stability but not in vitro cellular toxicity of linoleoylethanolamide cubosomes

Abstract Linoleoylethanolamide (LEA) is an endogenous lipid with remarkable neuromodulatory properties. However, its therapeutic potential is limited by rapid clearance in vivo, targetability and solubility. This study aimed to formulate LEA into liquid crystalline nanoparticles (cubosomes) as a strategy to address the aforementioned challenges. The influence of three different steric stabilisers: Tween 80 and Pluronic F68, both of which have the potential to interact with receptors expressed at the blood-brain barrier and Pluronic F127 as a control, on colloidal stability, internal structure, chemical stability and cytotoxicity of the dispersions were investigated. For effective stabilization of dispersions, a higher concentration of Tween 80 was required compared to Pluronics. Freshly prepared dispersions showed mean particle size of