Formulation and Characterization of Nanoparticle-Protein Sirtuin 1 (NPS1) by Nanoprecipitation Technique

Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease caused by endothelial dysfunction. This situation will trigger the bone marrow to immediately replace it with new endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) cells. However, some studies suggest that EPC can experience premature senescence. Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) is a cellular post-translational protein that has the task of repairing dysfunctional EPC cells. Studies have tried to develop SIRT1 activation, but currently, there are no studies that have attempted to increase SIRT1 levels in cells. Nanoparticles (NPS) are one of the methods in nanomedicine, which has the advantage of being a drug carrier. So, further research is needed on adding exogenous SIRT1 levels, NPS, which can improve the quality of EPC cells and prevent premature senescence. This study aims to report the formulation and characterization stages of nanoparticles carrying SIRT1 (NPS1) with different solvents, such as ethanol and aquadest. The method used in this formulation uses nanoprecipitation. The characterization of nanoparticles at this stage included organoleptic tests, pH tests, and quantifying using Nanodrops in determining the presence of adsorbed proteins. The pH and organoleptic test showed that the NPS1 formulation was acidic (K1 = 5.412 ± 0.73; K2 = 3.624 ± 0.45; F1 = 5.418 ± 0.55; F2 = 4.182 ± 0.07), yellow in color, and had a characteristic odor. Thus, the formulation and characteristics of NPS1 can be used as a method in drug development for anti-senescence therapy in EPC cells in further research, both in vitro, in vivo, and evaluation of preparations that are still very possible to be developed.