title: Mucosal delivery of liposome-chitosan nanoparticle complexes.
abstract: Designing adequate drug carriers has long been a major challenge for those working in drug delivery. Since drug delivery strategies have evolved for mucosal delivery as the outstanding alternative to parenteral administration, many new drug delivery systems have been developed which evidence promising properties to address specific issues. Colloidal carriers, such as nanoparticles and liposomes, have been referred to as the most valuable approaches, but still have some limitations that can become more inconvenient as a function of the specific characteristics of administration routes. To overcome these limitations, we developed a new drug delivery system that results from the combination of chitosan nanoparticles and liposomes, in an approach of combining their advantages, while avoiding their individual limitations. These lipid/chitosan nanoparticle complexes are, thus, expected to protect the encapsulated drug from harsh environmental conditions, while concomitantly providing its controlled release. To prepare these assemblies, two different strategies have been applied: one focusing on the simple hydration of a previously formed dry lipid film with a suspension of chitosan nanoparticles, and the other relying on the lyophilization of both basic structures (nanoparticles and liposomes) with a subsequent step of hydration with water. The developed systems are able to provide a controlled release of the encapsulated model peptide, insulin, evidencing release profiles that are dependent on their lipid composition. Moreover, satisfactory in vivo results have been obtained, confirming the potential of these newly developed drug delivery systems as drug carriers through distinct mucosal routes.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edison L S
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grenha
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Remuñán-López
authors.forename: Maria José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seijo
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D048271:Chitosan / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005612:Freeze Drying; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009092:Mucous Membrane; D053758:Nanoparticles; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D014867:Water; D048271:Chitosan