title: Chitosan microcapsules loaded with either miconazole nitrate or clotrimazole, prepared via emulsion technique.
abstract: In this paper, a simple and versatile coacervation technique has been developed by using an ultrasound-assisted oil/water emulsion method for the preparation of antifungal agent-loaded microcapsules. Two types of chitosan microcapsules are successfully prepared. The mean particle size of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules is 2.6 μm and that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules is 4.1 μm. The encapsulation efficiency of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules (77.58-96.81%) is relatively higher than that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules (56.66-93.82%). The in vitro drug release performance of the microcapsules shows that the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules release about 49.5% of the drug while chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules release more than 66.1% of the drug after 12h under a pressure of 5 kg at pH 5.5, which is similar to the pH of human skin. The prepared drug-loaded microcapsules could be applied onto bandages or socks, and will continuously release antifungal drugs in a controlled manner under pressure.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Chun-Wah Marcus
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cheuk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Chi-Wai
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.affiliation: Private Practice in Dermatology, Room 2110, 21/F, Tower 2, Metroplaza, 223 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung, N.T., Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Hing-Cheong
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shuk-Yan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D002214:Capsules; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003022:Clotrimazole / Q000737:chemistry*; D004655:Emulsions; D008825:Miconazole / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D002214:Capsules; D004655:Emulsions; D008825:Miconazole; D048271:Chitosan; D003022:Clotrimazole