Assessment of the utility of chitosan nanoparticles and microfibers in drug delivery applications of sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin

Abstract

The objective of this research was to explore the suitability of chitosan (CS) in the form of nanoparticles (NP) and microfibres (MF) for oral delivery applications related to low solubility antibiotic drugs sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin. The ionic gelation method in conjunction with freeze-drying was used to produce crosslinked chitosan material. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique was used to characterize the particle size and polydispersity index (PDI). Surface morphology was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antibiotic drugs ciprofloxacin (CPF) and sulfamethoxazole (SMO) were loaded onto the chitosan nanoparticle and microfibre materials. The degree of loading and the release kinetics were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a UV-visible spectrophotometer, respectively. CS itself has mucoadhesive properties and combined with the more rapid release of drug compared to the pure API, or traditional tablet formulations, CS nanoparticles and microfibres have the potential to improve the delivery properties of CPF and also SMO to a lesser extent. This difference can be rationalized on account of their differing physicochemical properties.