Preparation and evaluation of O-carboxymethyl chitosan/cyclodextrin nanoparticles as hydrophobic drug delivery carriers

In present study, novel composite nanocarriers comprised of O-carboxymethyl chitosan/β-cyclodextrin (O-CMC/β-CD) nanoparticles (NPS) were prepared and used to improve the bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. Ibuprofen (IBU) was selected as a model drug and chitosan/β-CD (CS/β-CD) NPS were also prepared as control. The prepared NPS were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. IBU entrapment of up to 93.25 ± 2.89% was obtained as determined by UV spectrophotometer. The NPS were spherical in shape with average particle sizes of 166 nm. The in vitro release studies were performed in simulated gastric medium (pH 1.2) and simulated intestinal medium (pH 6.8). The release rate of IBU from the O-CMC/β-CD NPS was slower than CS/β-CD NPS in simulated gastric medium. However, the converse tendency was observed in simulated intestinal medium. These results suggested that O-CMC/β-CD NPS were more suitable for the oral delivery of hydrophobic drugs compared with the CS/β-CD NPS.