Preparation, characterization and protein loading of hexanoyl-modified chitosan nanoparticles.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide with vast applications.
• Modifying chitosan can enhance its properties for specific uses, such as drug delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize hexanoyl chitosan.
• To prepare and analyze hexanoyl chitosan-tripolyphosphate (TPP) nanoparticles.
• To evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of these nanoparticles for bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Main Methods:

• Hexanoyl chitosan was synthesized via coupling reaction with hexanoic anhydride.
• Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed synthesis.
• Ionotropic gelation with TPP followed by sonication was used to form nanoparticles.
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterized nanoparticle morphology.
• Encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity were determined at varying BSA concentrations.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of hexanoyl chitosan was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis.
• Hexanoyl chitosan-TPP nanoparticles displayed a uniform spherical shape and smooth surface.
• Particle size ranged from 54.1 to 724 nm, with a mean diameter of 324 nm.
• Encapsulation efficiency decreased from 58.2% to 28.1% as BSA concentration increased.
• Loading capacity increased from 14.1% to 30.3% with increasing BSA concentration.

Conclusions:

• Hexanoyl chitosan-TPP nanoparticles are successfully synthesized and characterized.
• The nanoparticles exhibit suitable morphology and size for potential drug delivery applications.
• The study demonstrates the capacity of these nanoparticles for BSA encapsulation, with loading capacity increasing at higher concentrations.