Effect of pH on Chitosan-TPP Nanoparticles for Oral Drug Delivery in a Model Digestive System
Discipline: Nanoscience
Subcategory: Biomedical Engineering
Session: 2
Room: Park Tower 8216
Joshua M. Patterson - Delaware State University
Chitosan (CS) is a natural, biodegradable polysaccharide that is produced by the deacetylation of chitin. Studies have proven it to be non-toxic in humans. Utilizing pH-dependent cross-linkers, such as tripolyphosphate (TPP), chitosan, in nanoparticle form, can be used in pharmaceutical research as a carrier for drug delivery. Optimization of nanoparticle production is essential to the implementation of chitosan as a carrier of therapeutic agents to damaged cellular systems. In this experiment, we tested the hypothesis that body pH can affect the size, charge, and stability of chitosan-tripolyphosphate (CS-TPP) nanoparticles. CS-TPP nanoparticles of diverse molar concentrations were prepared using the ionic gelation method. The nanoparticles were placed in a model digestive system, after which the size, stability, and Zeta potential of the nanoparticles were tested. The optimal nanoparticle preparation method was determined to be a 5:1 CS:TPP molar ratio mixed at a 3:1 CS:TPP volume ratio. pH had little to no effect on the stability of the nanoparticles; however, the size and Zeta potential of the complexes were adversely affected. These results suggest that an oral drug delivery system composed solely of chitosan is inadequate for use in the digestive system. Future research will be conducted on finding an additional co-polymer that is biocompatible and can shield the CS-TPP nanoparticles from the effects of the varying pH’s of the digestive system. References: Gan et al., Modulation of surface charge, particle size and morphological properties of chitosan-TPP nanoparticles intended for gene delivery, Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 44 (2005) 65-73. Gao, et al., Galactosylated low molecular weight chitosan as DNA carrier for hepatocyte-targeting, International J. Pharm. 255 (2003) 57-68. Mao, et al., Chitosan-DNA nanoparticles as gene carriers: synthesis, characterization and transfection efficiency, J. Controlled Release. 70 (2001) 399-421.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF Bridge to Doctorate Program, NSF Award Number 1810609
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Cherese Winstead, cwinstead@desu.edu
Role: I performed all of the experimentation and all of the literature reviews.