Parameters influencing the size of chitosan-TPP nano- and microparticles.

Chitosan nanoparticles, produced by ionic gelation, are among the most intensely studied nanosystems for drug delivery. However, a lack of inter-laboratory reproducibility and a poor physicochemical understanding of the process of particle formation have been slowing their potential market applications. To address these shortcomings, the current study presents a systematic analysis of the main polymer factors affecting the nanoparticle formation driven by an initial screening using systematic statistical Design of Experiments (DoE).

Chitosan Analysis by Enzymatic/Mass Spectrometric Fingerprinting and in Silico Predictive Modeling.

Chitosans, β-1,4-linked partially N-acetylated linear polyglucosamines, are very versatile and promising functional biopolymers. Understanding their structure-function relationships requires sensitive and accurate structural analyses to determine parameters like degree of polymerization (DP), fraction of acetylation (F), or pattern of acetylation (P). NMR, the gold standard for F analysis, requires large amounts of sample.

Chitinosanase: A fungal chitosan hydrolyzing enzyme with a new and unusually specific cleavage pattern.

The biological activities of partially acetylated chitosan oligosaccharides (paCOS) depend on their degree of polymerization (DP), fraction of acetylation (F), and potentially their pattern of acetylation (P). Therefore, analyzing structure-function relationships require fully defined paCOS, but these are currently unavailable. A promising approach for obtaining at least partially defined paCOS is using chitosanolytic enzymes.

In vivo evaluation of poly-l-asparagine nanocapsules as carriers for anti-cancer drug delivery.

Here, we report the in vivo proof of-concept of a novel nanocarrier, poly-l-asparagine (PASN) nanocapsules, as an anticancer targeted drug delivery system. The nanocapsules were loaded with the fluorescent marker DiD (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindodicarbocyanine perchlorate) and also with the model drug docetaxel to evaluate the biodistribution and efficacy profiles in healthy and glioma-bearing mice, respectively. Regardless of their cargo, the nanocapsules presented a size close to 180 nm, a surface charge around -40 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of 75-90%.

Hyaluronan nanocapsules as a new vehicle for intracellular drug delivery.

Here we report the development of new drug nanocarriers - named hyaluronan nanocapsules - for the intracellular delivery of hydrophobic anticancer drugs. These nanocapsules are composed of a lipid core and a shell of hyaluronic acid (HA). Nanocapsules were produced by a modified solvent displacement technique, which allows the formation of the polymer shell around the oily core using a cationic surfactant as an interphase bridge.