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  • Chemical coupling of thiolated chitosan to preformed liposomes improves mucoadhesive properties.

Chemical coupling of thiolated chitosan to preformed liposomes improves mucoadhesive properties.

International journal of nanomedicine (2012-06-09)
Kerstin Gradauer, Caroline Vonach, Gerd Leitinger, Dagmar Kolb, Eleonore Fröhlich, Eva Roblegg, Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch, Ruth Prassl
ABSTRACT

To develop mucoadhesive liposomes by anchoring the polymer chitosan-thioglycolic acid (chitosan-TGA) to the liposomal surface to target intestinal mucosal membranes. Liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and a maleimide-functionalized lipid were incubated with chitosan-TGA, leading to the formation of a thioether bond between free SH-groups of the polymer and maleimide groups of the liposome. Uncoated and newly generated thiomer-coated liposomes were characterized according to their size, zeta potential, and morphology using photon correlation spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The release behavior of calcitonin and the fluorophore/quencher-couple ANTS/DPX (8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid/p-xylene-bis- pyridinium bromide) from coated and uncoated liposomes, was investigated over 24 hours in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. To test the mucoadhesive properties of thiomer-coated and uncoated liposomes in-vitro, we used freshly excised porcine small intestine. Liposomes showed a concentration-dependent increase in size - from approximately 167 nm for uncoated liposomes to 439 nm for the highest thiomer concentration used in this study. Likewise, their zeta potentials gradually increased from about -38 mV to +20 mV, clearly indicating an effective coupling of chitosan-TGA to the surface of liposomes. As a result of mucoadhesion tests, we found an almost two-fold increase in the mucoadhesion of coupled liposomes relative to uncoupled ones. With fluorescence microscopy, we saw a tight adherence of coated particles to the intestinal mucus. Taken together, our current results indicate that thiomer-coated liposomes possess a high potential to be used as an oral drug-delivery system.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Thioglycolic acid, ≥99%
Sigma-Aldrich
Thioglycolic acid, 98%
Sigma-Aldrich
Sodium thioglycolate, ≥96.5% (iodometric)
Supelco
Thioglycolic acid solution, ~80% in H2O, for spectrophotometric det. of palladium, iron, uranium(VI), molybdates and nitrites
Sigma-Aldrich
8-Aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid disodium salt, BioReagent, suitable for fluorescence, ≥90% (CE)
Sigma-Aldrich
p-Xylene-bis(N-pyridinium bromide), ≥95% (TLC)
Sigma-Aldrich
Thioglycolic acid solution, ~70 % (w/w) in H2O