Whey Protein Isolate-Chitosan PolyElectrolyte Nanoparticles as a Drug Delivery System

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Whey protein isolate (WPI) is a versatile carrier for bioactive substances but lacks colloidal stability in physiological environments.
• Developing stable nanocarriers is crucial for effective drug delivery and biomaterial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer stabilized PolyElectrolyte Nanoparticles (PENs) based on WPI with enhanced colloidal stability.
• To evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release characteristics of the developed PENs for a model chemotherapeutic agent.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PENs via polyelectrolyte complexation between WPI and chitosan (CS), followed by ionic gelation with tripolyphosphate (TPP).
• Physicochemical characterization of nanoparticle size, surface charge, and morphology.
• Assessment of encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release kinetics using doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug.

Main Results:

• Spherical nanoparticles with an average size of ~249 nm and a positive surface charge of ~+11 mV were successfully synthesized.
• High encapsulation efficiency (92.79%) for doxorubicin was achieved.
• Negligible changes in size and aggregation were observed over three weeks, indicating excellent colloidal stability.

Conclusions:

• The simultaneous application of polyelectrolyte complexation and ionic gelation effectively stabilizes WPI-based nanoparticles.
• The developed PENs demonstrate significant potential as stable nanocarriers for delivering positively charged bioactive molecules, including chemotherapeutics.