Preparation and properties of ionically cross-linked chitosan nanoparticles

Chitosan nanoparticles were fabricated by a method of tripolyphosphate (TPP) cross-linking. The influence of fabrication conditions on the physical properties and drug loading and release properties was investigated by transmission electron microscopy ITEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV-vis spectroscopy. The nanoparticles could be prepared only within a zone of appropriate chitosan and TPP concentrations. The particle size and surface zeta potential can be manipulated by variation of the fabrication conditions such as chitosan/TPP ratio and concentration, solution pH and salt addition. TEM observation revealed a core-shell structure for the as-prepared nanoparticles, but a filled structure for the ciprofloxacin (CH) loaded particles. Results show that the chitosan nanoparticles were rather stable and no cytotoxicity of the chitosan nanoparticles was found in an in vitro cell culture experiment. Loading and release of CH can be modulated by the environmental factors such as solution pH and medium quality. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.