Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Aug 19;2(8):3429-3438.
doi: 10.1021/acsabm.9b00381. Epub 2019 Jul 29.

Electrostatically Assembled Multilayered Films of Biopolymer Enhanced Nanocapsules for on-Demand Drug Release

Li Xu  1 , Zihan Chu  1 , Hailong Wang  1 , Lawrence Cai  1 , Zhigang Tu  1 , Hanqing Liu  1 , Chunyin Zhu  1 , Haifeng Shi  1 , Donghui Pan  2 , Jia Pan  3 , Xiang Fei  1
Affiliations

Electrostatically Assembled Multilayered Films of Biopolymer Enhanced Nanocapsules for on-Demand Drug Release

Li Xu et al. ACS Appl Bio Mater. .

Abstract

We describe layer-by-layer (LbL) buildup and pH-responsive behavior of multilayer films of alginate/chitosan/alginate -modified silica nanocapsules (SNCs) and chitosan (CS) biopolymers via electrostatic interaction. The SNC/CS films exhibit pH-triggered swelling/deswelling transitions under physiological conditions. Fulvestrant, an FDA-approved selective estrogen receptor down-regulator agent for the treatment of breast cancer, was encapsulated in SNCs and further incorporated into the LbL films. The drug release profile from the films was dependent on pH value of the surrounding environment. At pH 7.4, the films were able to efficiently entrap fulvestrant, with only ∼38% released in 120 days, whereas exposure to a lower pH value (pH 5.0) triggered faster fulvestrant release in phosphate buffer solution at 37 °C. Atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry showed that the films retained their structural integrity in PBS after several swelling/deswelling cycles. SNC/CS LbL films demonstrated repeated on/off drug release under external triggers, allowing consistent fulvestrant release (∼14-18% of encapsulated fulvestrant released for each cycle) over a 10-day period without significant change in drug release rate. This work demonstrates the first proof-of-concept platform of SNC-incorporated films with well-defined internal structure, good stability, high loading capacity, and controlled/sustained release profile for on-demand drug delivery. With great versatility to use various active compounds and building blocks, the films may have high potential for broad applications such as implantable biosensors and antifouling coatings.

Keywords: assembly; chitosan; drug delivery; fulvestrant; multilayer; nanoparticle.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles