Self-assembled micelles of N-phthaloyl-carboxymethychitosan for drug delivery

Micelles were self-assembled from N-phthaloyl-carboxymethylchitosan (CMPhCh) in a DMF-H2O mixture solution, and they were used to evaluate drug deliveries of levofloxacine hydrochloride (Lfloxin) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Their morphologies and the physical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns, fluorescence intensity, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CMPhCh in aqueous solution was 0.20 mg/mL. The CMPhCh loaded with Lfloxin exhibited micelles having 60-90 nm diameters, whereas that with BSA displayed vesicular shape with 30-200 nm diameters. Moreover, the Lfloxin and BSA could be controlled to release within 72 h in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), indicating promising applications of the CMPhCh micelles in the drug delivery and release fields.