Fabrication and characterization of hollow starch nanoparticles by gelation process for drug delivery application

Hollow nanoparticles (HNPs) have been widely regarded as controlled drug carriers owing to their advantages, such as high drug-loading efficiency and superior control over drug delivery and release. In this study, a facile and efficient strategy has been exploited for preparation of hollow starch nanoparticles (HSNPs) via a sacrificial hard-template process using gelled starch as the shell. These nanocapsules have been characterized through various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The HSNPs have diameters ranging from 30nm to 300nm, with shell thickness of 5-10nm. X-ray diffraction analysis has revealed that HSNPs exhibit B+V type diffraction peaks with a relative crystallinity of 34.2%. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX·HCl) was readily encased in the nanocarriers with a high loading efficiency (97.56%) and a high loading content (37.12%). In addition, no cytotoxicity for normal liver cells was found in HSNPs. However, DOX·HCl-loaded HSNPs exhibited clear cytotoxicity for liver hepatocellular cells. Thus, the hollow starch nanoparticles form a highly promising platform for cancer therapy.