ARGENTINEAN CHITOSAN FOR ENCAPSULATION PURPOSES

CECILIA PRUDKIN SILVA; VICTORIA GÓMEZ-ANDRADE ; MARÍA EDITH FARÍAS; OSCAR E PÉREZ

Córdoba

Simposio; XII SIMPOSIO ARGENTINO DE POLÍMEROS; 2017

Laboratorio de Materiales Poliméricos (LaMaP), CONICET, UNC,

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the design of delivery systems based on polymeric structures to protect and release beneficial bioactive compounds into the organism. Due to their biodegradability and low toxicity, natural polymers arise as an alternative to the use of synthetic polymers as encapsulating agents. Chitosan (CS) is found within this group of biopolymers and is the only cationic polyelectrolyte known in nature [1].This polymer is a biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic biopolymer that is obtained from chitin after chemical deacetylation process. The presence of -NH2 and -OH groups gives it interesting chemical and biological properties. CS is also relevant for its high mucoadhesion, a necessary property in the development of these nanoparticulate systems capable of exerting controlled release [2]. In Argentina we lack of chitosan production to satisfy the demands of small and medium industries. Therefore, the objective of this contribution was to characterize a novel argentinean chitosan, synthesized in the Laboratory of Microbiology of INTI, Mar del Plata, Argentina. To characterize this new material, the IR absorption spectra of CS was obtained. On the other hand, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements were performed in order to estimate CS degree of deacetylation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging was proven useful to characterize the topography of chitosan samples. The interaction between CS and porcine mucin was investigated by comparing the viscoelastic properties of CS-mucin mixtures, at different pHs, against those of the pure components. The study of rheological synergy was necessary to indicate the mucoadhesive interaction of CS and its feasibility to be used in mucoadhesive drug delivery systems.