title: Facile preparation of well-defined near-monodisperse chitosan/sodium alginate polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles (CS/SAL NPs) via ionotropic gelification: a suitable technique for drug delivery systems.
abstract: Polymeric nanoparticles have emerged as a promising approach for drug delivery systems. We prepared chitosan (CS)/sodium alginate (SAL) polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles (CS/SAL NPs) via a simple and mild ionic gelation method by adding a CS solution to a SAL solution, and investigated the effects of molecular weight of the added CS, and the SAL:CS mass ratio on the formation of the polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles. The well-defined CS/SAL NPs with near-monodisperse particle size of about 160 nm exhibited a pH stable structure, and pH responsive properties with a negatively or positively charged surface. The so-called "electrostatic sponge" structure of the polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles enhanced their drug-loading capacity towards the differently charged model drug molecules, and favored controlled release. We also found that the drug-loading capacity was influenced by the nature of the drugs and the drug-loading media, while drug release was affected by the solubility of the drugs in the drug-releasing media. The biocompatibility and biodegradability of the polyelectrolytes in the polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles were maintained by ionic interactions. These results indicate that CS/SAL NPs can represent a useful technique for pH-responsive drug delivery systems.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China. pliu@lzu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xubo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007052:Ibuprofen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010316:Particle Size; D055672:Static Electricity
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005782:Gels; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D048271:Chitosan; D007052:Ibuprofen
keywords: Drug delivery system; Electrostatic sponge; Ionic gelation; Polyelectrolyte complex; Well-defined nanoparticles