Water-soluble chitosan nanoparticles as a novel carrier system for protein delivery

Abstract

High MW chitosan (CS) solutions have already been proposed as vehicles for protein delivery. The aim of the present work is to investigate the potential utility of water-soluble chitosan (WSC) as vehicles to load and deliver proteins. WSC nanoparticles (WSC NP) with various formations were prepared based on ionic gelation of WSC with pentasodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) anions. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein drug incorporated into the WSC nanoparticles. Blank and BSA-loaded WSC nanoparticles were examined and determined to have a spherical shape with diameters between 35–190 nm, and zeta potential between 35–42 mV. FTIR confirmed that the tripolyphosphoric groups of TPP linked to the ammonium groups of WSC in the nanoparticles. Some factors affecting delivery properties of BSA have been investigated. Altering the concentration of BSA from 0.05 to 1 mg/mL enhanced the loading capacity of BSA but decreased loading efficiency simultaneously. Also, with the introduction of poly ethylene glycol (PEG), BSA release accelerated. Nanoparticle preparation from WSC with various deacetylation degrees (DDs) from 72.6% to 90% and MWs ranging from 3.5 to 15.8 kDa promoted loading efficiency and decreased the release rate. These results indicate that WSC nanoparticles are promising carriers for protein delivery.