Preparation and characterization of liposomes encapsulating chitosan nanoparticles

Liposomes are an important colloidal carrier system for controlled drug delivery. However some highly hydrophilic small molecules are difficult to entrap into liposomes and store stably, resulting in poor encapsulation efficiency and fast leakage. In the present work, fluorescein sodium (FS) was used as a model drug that was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles and then encapsulated into liposomes by reverse-phase evaporation (RPV). The encapsulation efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, release in vitro and pharmacokinetics in rats were determined in order to characterize the novel drug delivery system. The entrapment efficiency was above 80% in nanoparticles (Np) and 95% in liposomes encapsulating the nanoparticles (Lip-Np). The Lip-Np was composed of soybean phospholipids, cholesterol and chitosan, which the average diameter was 202.6 nm and zeta potential was -34.8 mV. The release rate of fluorescein sodium from Lip-Np was slower than from Np and liposomes. FS in Lip-Np administered to rats exhibited prolonged circulation and higher bioavailability than FS in Np. The results indicated that liposomal release kinetics can be controlled by encapsulating nanoparticles and thus solid-cored liposomes can be used as a potential drug delivery system.