The Influence of Chitosan Concentration on Polyelectrolytes Complexes (PECs) of Chitosan – Poly-2-Acrylamido-2-Methylprophane Sulfonic Acid (PAMPS) as Potential Drug Carrier in Pulmonary Delivery Application

Abstract

Pulmonary drug delivery system is one of potential way to effectively treat lung-based disease, such as tuberculosis, because this route offers a possibility to reduce systemic toxicity and achieving higher drug concentration at the main site of infection. One of potential drug carrier for this purpose is chitosan based polyelectrolytes complexes (PECs) because micron-sized particles with good biocompatibility, non-toxic and antibacterial properties, that was inherited from chitosan, could be achieved. In this research, PECs were prepared by simple mixing method between chitosan solution and poly-2-acrylamido-2-methylprophane sulfonic acid (PAMPS) solution. The influence of chitosan concentration on obtained PECs were studied by varying chitosan concentration from 0.1 to 2.0% w/v. Based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zetasizer results, increasing chitosan concentration lead to increase the particle size from 1.1 µm to 10.7 µm and their net surface charge of particles were changed from -4,2 mV to 32.8 mV. Considering that particle size of pulmonary drug carrier should be around 1-3 µm and preferable possesses positive net surface charge, PECs prepared from chitosan solution 0.5% w/v might be potentially useful as drug carrier for pulmonary drug delivery system.