title: Hybrid nanospheres and vesicles based on pectin as drug carriers.
abstract: A novel strategy was developed to prepare nanospheres and vesicles as drug carriers. The drug-loaded pectin nanospheres and vesicles were fabricated in aqueous media containing Ca2+ and CO3(2-) ions under very mild conditions, which did not involve any surfactant. Through adjusting the preparation conditions, nanosized drug delivery systems with diverse morphologies, that is, nanospheres and vesicles, could be obtained. This technique could offer good control over the morphology and the size of nanospheres and vesicles. The morphologies of the aggregates were observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), an antineoplastic drug, was encapsulated in the nanospheres and vesicles, and the in vitro drug release at different pH values was investigated. With the presence of Ca2+ and CO3(2-) ions in the pectin-based nanospheres/vesicles, the release of the low molecular weight drug could be effectively sustained from the highly hydrolyzed polysaccharide-based drug delivery systems.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cui-Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Xi-Chen
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fang-Zhou
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Si-Xue
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Xian-Zheng
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ren-Xi
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Zhuo
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry; D002254:Carbonates / Q000737:chemistry; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D054118:Nanospheres / Q000737:chemistry*; D010368:Pectins / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D002254:Carbonates; D004337:Drug Carriers; D014867:Water; D010368:Pectins; D002118:Calcium; D005472:Fluorouracil