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Development of new chitosan/carrageenan nanoparticles for drug delivery applications
Author(s) -
Grenha Ana,
Gomes Manuela E.,
Rodrigues Márcia,
Santo Vítor E.,
Mano João F.,
Neves Nuno M.,
Reis Rui L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.32466
Subject(s) - nanocarriers , materials science , nanoparticle , chitosan , zeta potential , drug delivery , biocompatibility , polymer , nanotechnology , carrageenan , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , drug carrier , chemical engineering , composite material , chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , metallurgy
The use of polymeric nanoparticles, especially those composed of natural polymers, has become a very interesting approach in drug delivery, mainly because of the advantages offered by their small dimensions. The aim of this work was to develop a novel formulation of nanoparticles comprised of two natural marine‐derived polymers, namely chitosan and carrageenan, and to evaluate their potential for the association and controlled release of macromolecules. Nanoparticles were obtained in a hydrophilic environment, under very mild conditions, avoiding the use of organic solvents or other aggressive technologies for their preparation. The developed nanocarriers presented sizes within 350–650 nm and positive zeta potentials of 50–60 mV. Polymeric interactions between nanoparticles' components were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Using ovalbumin as model protein, nanoparticles evidenced loading capacity varying from 4% to 17% and demonstrated excellent capacity to provide a controlled release for up to 3 weeks. Furthermore, nanoparticles have demonstrated to exhibit a noncytotoxic behavior in biological in vitro tests performed using L929 fibroblasts, which is critical regarding the biocompatibility of those carriers. In summary, the developed chitosan‐carrageenan nanoparticles have shown promising properties to be used as carriers of therapeutic macromolecules, with potential application not only strictly in drug delivery, but also in broader areas, such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010