Biocompatible Glycol Chitosan Microgels as Effective Drug Carriers

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Chitosan (CH) derivatives offer improved properties, with glycol chitosan (GC) exhibiting enhanced water solubility.
• Microgels are versatile platforms for various applications, including biomedical uses.
• Tannic acid (TA) is a potent antioxidant with therapeutic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize glycol chitosan (GC) microgels (p(GC)) using a microemulsion technique.
• To evaluate the hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of the synthesized p(GC) microgels.
• To investigate the potential of p(GC) microgels as a drug delivery system for tannic acid (TA).

Main Methods:

• Microemulsion technique employed for p(GC) microgel synthesis with varying divinyl sulfone (DVS) crosslinking ratios.
• Hemocompatibility assessed via hemolysis ratio and blood clotting index tests.
• Biocompatibility evaluated using L929 fibroblast cell viability assays.
• TA loading capacity and release kinetics determined, alongside antioxidant activity using TEAC and FC assays.

Main Results:

• p(GC) microgels exhibited favorable hemocompatibility with a hemolysis ratio of 1.15 ± 0.1% and a blood clotting index of 89 ± 5%.
• Cell viability of L929 fibroblasts remained high (75.5 ± 5%) even at a 2.0 mg/mL concentration of p(GC) microgels.
• TA@p(GC) microgels demonstrated a high TA loading capacity (323.89 mg/g) and sustained TA release over 57 hours.
• Significant antioxidant activity was confirmed for TA@p(GC) microgels through TEAC and FC assays.

Conclusions:

• Synthesized p(GC) microgels are hemocompatible and biocompatible, indicating their safety for biomedical applications.
• p(GC) microgels show promise as effective drug delivery vehicles, particularly for antioxidant compounds like TA.
• The developed TA-loaded p(GC) microgels possess significant antioxidant capacity, suggesting potential in therapeutic applications.