Synthesis of nanoparticles of the chitosan-poly((α,β)-DL-aspartic acid) polyelectrolite complex as hydrophilic drug carrier

In this work, nanoparticles of the chitosan-poly((α,β)-DL-aspartic acid) polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) were synthesized. The purpose is to develop a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic polymeric platform as a vehicle for the encapsulation of hydrophilic drugs. The ionotropic gelation method, using solutions of chitosan and poly((α,β)-DL-aspartic acid sodium salt), allowed synthesizing particles with diameters of 142.1 ± 2.9 nm determined by DLS, while by FESEM particle diameters in the 60–200 nm range were observed. A preliminary trial showed that encapsulation of isoniazid, a hydrophilic drug to treat tuberculosis, is possible with encapsulation efficiency in the range of 5.3–5.8%.