Abstract
Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) have been extensively applied in medical and pharmaceutical fields as promising drug delivery systems. Despite that, the safety of CSNPs remains inadequate and needs further investigation, particularly on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). CSNPs were prepared by ionic gelation method and later were characterized for their physical characteristics (particle size and zeta potential). Cytotoxicity of CSNPs was assessed by MTT assay. Particle size was highly influenced by chitosan concentration and molecular weight (medium and high molecular weight (MMW and HMW)). Higher chitosan concentration and molecular weight produced larger nanoparticles. Zeta potential of CSNPs was not significantly affected by chitosan concentrations and molecular weights used in the present study. MMW had a better stability than HMW CSNPs as their particle size and zeta potential were not significantly altered after autoclaving. Cytotoxicity of CSNPs was influenced by zeta potential and particle size. On the other hand, chitosan concentration and molecular weight indirectly influenced cytotoxicity by affecting particle size and zeta potential of CSNPs. In conclusion, cytotoxicity of CSNPs was mainly attributed to their physical characteristics and this opens a strategy to ensure the safety of CSNPs applications in stem cell technology.
Highlights
Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide derived from natural sources including shell of crabs and shrimps [1] and microorganisms like fungus [2]
Cytotoxicity effects of Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) could be affected by several other factors such as their physical characteristics which could be influenced by various parameters, for example, chitosan concentration, molecular weight, and degree of deacetylation (DD) [4, 6, 7]
For medium molecular weight (MMW), particle size was increased with increasing chitosan concentration from 0.2% to 0.6% w/v
Summary
Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide derived from natural sources including shell of crabs and shrimps [1] and microorganisms like fungus [2]. Chitosans have been widely used as carriers for drugs and genetic materials, including DNA [3]. Chitosan has been widely applied in pharmaceutical field due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility properties [4]. Ionic gelation method was commonly used to prepare chitosan (CSNPs) due to its simplicity [4]. Besides the solubility of chitosan in aqueous media, heating, organic solvent, and high shear force are not required for this method [5], making it a suitable method to produce nontoxic nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity effects of CSNPs could be affected by several other factors such as their physical characteristics which could be influenced by various parameters, for example, chitosan concentration, molecular weight, and degree of deacetylation (DD) [4, 6, 7]
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