Polylysine and cysteine functionalized chitosan nanoparticle as an efficient platform for oral delivery of paclitaxel.

A novel chitosan-based multifunctional nanoparticle (PY-CS-PLA) using cationic polylysine (PL) polymer and L-cysteine has been developed and investigated for the oral delivery of paclitaxel (PTX). As amphiphilic polymer, PY-CS-PLA presented good capability in self-assembling into spherical nanoparticle with mean size of 165 nm, and encapsulating PTX into the hydrophobic core. The encapsulated PTX was observed to be sustainedly released from the functionalized chitosan nanoparticle, and with a positive correlation to the pH value of the medium in the range of 1.