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Chitosan-based nanocapsules: physical characterization, stability in biological media and capsaicin encapsulation

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Abstract

This study addresses the effect of the degree of N-acetylation (DA ~1.4–56 %) of chitosan (CS) of low and medium molecular weight (M w  ~ 9.5–13.2 and ~122–266 kDa, respectively) on the biophysical properties, colloidal stability and encapsulation efficiency of capsaicin (a lipophilic drug currently used in pain therapy) of CS-based nanocapsules (NCs). The average diameter of the NCs varied within the range of ~150–200 nm, but it was slightly higher for NCs comprising high M w CS than for those with low M w CS. The zeta potential (ζ) was highly positive and clearly dependent on the M w of CS, exhibiting a monotonic decreasing trend concomitant with the increase in DA. Both results suggest that M w and DA of CS have an effect on the disposition of the polysaccharide onto the phospholipidic surface. Synchrotron SAXS studies revealed a monotonic increase in Bragg interplanar distances (from ~55 up to ~67 Å) as a function of the DA, a finding that agrees with previous results that are consistent with the capacity of hydrophobic domains to disturb the crystalline state of gelled phospholipidic membranes. Colloidal stability studies carried out in cell-culture biological media revealed the determinant role of hydration forces, a short-range repulsive interaction, on the stability of the NCs. Finally, M w and DA of CS both influenced the encapsulation efficiency of capsaicin, thus showing the effect of the harnessed NCs shell on its capacity to encapsulate lipophilic drugs.

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Acknowledgements

Support from the European Union for projects Nanobiosaccharides (ref. no. 013882 FP6) and BioNanoSmart-DDS (ref. no. 908111 FP7-PEOPLE Programme Marie Curie); from European Synchrotron Research Facility (France) for project ref. SC-2774; from “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (Spain) for project Consolider Nanobiomed (ref. no. CSD 2006–00012); from the “Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Junta de Andalucía” (Spain) for projects P07-FQM-2496 and P07-FQM-03099 and from “Xunta de Galicia” (Spain) for a research fellowship to one of us (MJS) (Ángeles Alvariño research programme ref. IN840D) is in all cases gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Universidad de Santiago Compostela, Campus Sur s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Francisco M. Goycoolea, Angela Valle-Gallego, Bianca Menchicchi, Manuel J. Santander-Ortega & María J. Alonso

  2. Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie, Farmaceutiche ed Alimentari, via Brigata Salerno 13, 16147, Genova, Italy

    Rossana Stefani

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, WC1N 1AX, London, UK

    Manuel J. Santander-Ortega

  4. Laboratoire des Matériaux Polymères et des Biomatériaux, UMR CNRS 5223, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères (IMP), Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 15 Boulevard A. Latarjet, Bâtiment ISTIL, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    Laurent David

  5. CERMAV-CNRS, BP53, 38041, Grenoble, France

    Cyrille Rochas

  6. Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universtät Münster, Schlossgarten 3, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Francisco M. Goycoolea

Authors
  1. Francisco M. Goycoolea
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  2. Angela Valle-Gallego
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  3. Rossana Stefani
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  4. Bianca Menchicchi
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  5. Laurent David
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  6. Cyrille Rochas
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  7. Manuel J. Santander-Ortega
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  8. María J. Alonso
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francisco M. Goycoolea.

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Goycoolea, F.M., Valle-Gallego, A., Stefani, R. et al. Chitosan-based nanocapsules: physical characterization, stability in biological media and capsaicin encapsulation. Colloid Polym Sci 290, 1423–1434 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2669-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2669-z

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