Chitosan nanocapsules Effect of chitosan molecular weight and acetylation degree on electrokinetic.pdfVIP

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 82 (2011) 571–580 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces j o u rn al h omepage: w w w. elsev /locate/cols urfb Chitosan nanocapsules: Effect of chitosan molecular weight and acetylation degree on electrokinetic behaviour and colloidal stability M.J. Santander-Ortega a,b , J.M. Peula-García c , F.M. Goycoolea b , J.L. Ortega-Vinuesa d,∗ a Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, London WC1N 1AX, UK b Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15706, Spain c Department of Applied Physics II, University of Malaga, Malaga 29071, Spain d Department of Applied Physics, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: In recent years, chitosan nanocapsules have shown promising results as carriers for oral drug or peptide Received 2 July 2010 delivery. The success in their applicability strongly depends on the stability of these colloidal systems Received in revised form passing through the digestive tract. In gastric fluids, clear stability comes from the high surface charge 21 September 2010 density of the chitosan shell, which is completely charged at acidic pH values. However, in the intesti- Accepted 11 October 2010 Available online 15 October 2010 nal fluid (where the pH is almost neutral) the effective charge of these nanocapsules approaches zero,