Aerosol-Assisted Synthesis of Chitosan/Alginate Nanocarrier for pH-Sensitive Codelivery of Doxorubicin and Methylene Blue

Chitosan/alginate nanocarrier containing doxorubicin (DOX) and methylene blue (Mb) was synthesized through a simple and efficient aerosol-assisted method. A pneumatic multinebulizer was designed and used for simultaneous nebulization of a solution of DOX and Mb and a solution of sodium alginate into a heating tunnel for reducing the droplet size and promoting the reaction rate. The product was then collected in a solution containing chitosan for further self-assembly of alginate and chitosan under continuous stirring. The synthesized nanocarriers were characterized by FT-IR analysis and TEM images. The size distribution of the nanocarrier was found to be ۵.۴۰±۰.۸۱ nm. The loading percentages of DOX and Mb were ۳۰.۸۸% and ۲۲.۲۵%, respectively. The loading capacities for DOX and Mb were ۷۲.۷۵ and ۴.۰۷ mg g-۱, respectively. The drug release was investigated under neutral and acidic pH values (i.e., ۷.۴ and ۵.۰). The results showed that the synthesized nanocarrier is sensitive to pH, and drug release increases in acidic pH. To evaluate the cytotoxicity of the nanocarrier, MTT tests were performed on the A۵۴۹ lung cancer cell line in vitro, and IC۵۰ values were calculated. The results showed that the presence of Mb increases the efficiency and reduces the IC۵۰ DOX.

کلیدواژه ها:

Aerosol-assisted synthesis ، cancer ، Targeted drug delivery systems ، doxorubicin ، Controlled release ، Methylene blue