Preparation of Chitosan Nanoparticles and their In-vitro Characterization

BackgroundChitosan is a natural, biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic and easily available polymer that can be used to prepare nanoparticles. Chitosan nanoparticles can be widely used in pharmaceutical industries as an antimicrobial agent or as drug delivery vehicle. ObjectivesAim of the study was to prepare chitosan nanoparticles and characterize them. Methods: Chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ResultsThe present study showed that chitosan nanoparticles were successfully prepared by ionic gelation method. The obtained chitosan nanoparticles were characterized and study revealed that they are stable spherical in shape. The size of chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) at selected concentration was 216 nm and zeta potential 50mV was done by zeta sizer Nano S (Malvern, UK). ConclusionChitosan nanoparticles were successfully prepared by ionic gelation method. Key-wordsChitosan, Chitosan nanoparticles, DLS, FTIR, SEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy INTRODUCTION Nanotechnology is the emerging science that deals with nm scale and nanoparticles are one of the building blocks in nanotechnology. Recently from last few years, nanotechnology and polymers together have captivated a tremendous interest in many areas including pharmaceutical industry and therapeutic innovation among others. Nanoparticles are the solid colloidal particles in nanometer range i.e. from 10–1000 nm [1] . Due to their small size and large surface area they exhibit unique physical and chemical properties. Nanoparticles can be prepared both from natural polymers such as protein, polysaccharide or synthetic polymer such polystyrene. The nanoparticles which are prepared from synthetic polymers involve heat, organic solvent or high shear force that can harm the drug stability. In contrast, nanoparticles prepared from natural polymers offer mild as well as simple preparation methods without the use of organic solvent and high shear force. Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: