Formulation and Characterization of Poly (Acrylic Acid)- Co-Chitosan Nanoparticles as pH-Thermo-Responsive System to Control Delivery

Abstract

The present study aims to develop a pH thermosensitive nanocarriers as a drug delivery system to better controll drug release. Nanoparticles was developed by the combination of smart polymers, chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) were chosen as biodegradable vectors to encapsulate and transport the drug. The used method was based on the polymerization of acrylic acid using reticulated chitosan as a template. Analysis of particle size, Zeta potential, and size distribution revealed that most of the resulting nanoparticles had an average diameter less than 100nm, with a high Zeta potentiel about -29.7 mV and a narrow size distribution. In addition, the developed system showed an encapsulation efficiency around 97%. In vitro release test was achieved using different buffer solutions with pH equal to 1.2, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, 6.8 and 7.4. The release profiles showed that nanoparticles provide drug protection at different pH values. They responded at pH = 3.6 and provided sustained controlled release of up to 62.62% over 8 hours. The results reveal that the prepared nanoparticles can be used as drug delivery carriers. They can improve therapeutic efficiency of the drugs used in the treatment of inflamed tissues where the pH is around 3.6 as in the Crohn disease.