Exploring the effect of formulation parameters on the particle size of carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles prepared via reverse micellar crosslinking.

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh), as a non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable semi-synthetic biopolymer with mucoadhesive properties, is widely investigated for targeting drug or gene delivery applications. Here, fabrication of CMCh nanoparticles will be reported using a reverse (w/o) micellar system to provide particles with tuneable mean sizes. Reverse microemulsions were prepared by dispersing aqueous solution of CMCh in n-hexane using sodium-bis(ethylhexyl)-sulfosuccinate (AOT) and glutaraldehyde (GA) as an emulsifier and a crosslinking agent, respectively.