Narayan Bhattarai
State University
USA
Title: Surface modification of PLGA particles using chitosan for drug delivery applications
Biography
Biography: Narayan Bhattarai
Abstract
Design and synthesis of new biomaterials for drug delivery applications is a promising, but challenging research area. A number of polymeric biomaterials have been extensively studied in the past few years based upon the properties of biodegradability and biocompatibility. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biocompatible, biodegradable and FDA approved polymer. When PLGA is developed for systemic applications, its surface is typically protected by other hydrophilic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to help prolonged circulation and enhanced cellular uptake. But PEG and PVA can interfere with the interactions between drug carriers and target cells, and negatively influence the therapeutic outcomes. To overcome this challenge, we proposed a design to use chitosan as an alternative surface coating of PLGA. We hypothesized that our design provides a sustainable drug delivery system, improves delivery efficiency, and reduces toxic side effects. Magnesium gluconate (MgG) was encapsulated in PLGA as a model drug. MgG encapsulated and chitosan modified PLGA particles were synthesized using modified double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The core objective of this project was to test the particles with respect to the physical and chemical properties, cell-particles interactions, drug loading and drug delivery. The particles were found to be several hundred nanometers in size and spherical in shape with smooth surface. Quantification of chitosan were analyzed using ninhydrin assay and the amount of chitosan adsorbed on PLGA was found significant for prolonged circulation and enhanced cellular uptake. The drug release curve showed sustainable release profile.