Fabrication and evaluation of the novel reduction-sensitive starch nanoparticles for controlled drug release

• N,N-Bisacryloylcystamine crosslinker was used to prepare starch nanoparticles.
• A novel type of reduction-sensitive starch nanoparticles was prepared.
• Effect of process parameters on the size of starch nanoparticles was evaluated.
• Starch nanoparticles were non-cytotoxic, biocompatible and biodegradable.
• Starch nanoparticles exhibited a promising application prospect for drug delivery.

A novel type of reduction-sensitive starch nanoparticles was prepared via the reversed-phase microemulsion method by using crosslinker, N,N-bisacryloylcystamine (BAC) with the disulfide linkages, which was specifically cleaved by dithiothreitol (DTT). Starch nanoparticles had a spherical morphology with a small size of 40 nm in the optimal condition. The influences of process parameters (starch amount, surfactant amount and oil/water (O/W) ratio) on the size of starch nanoparticles were studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS). BAC crosslinked starch nanoparticles were degraded into oligomers with the reducing agent of DTT due to the cleavage of the disulfide linkages. A model drug 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) could be loaded efficiently into starch nanoparticles and the in vitro drug release behaviors were also studied. The results suggested that the disulfide crosslinked starch nanoparticles exhibited an accelerated drug release behavior in the presence of DTT. In vitro methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assays indicated that BAC crosslinked starch nanoparticles had a good biocompatibility when cocultured with human HeLa cancer cells. Hence, with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, and rapid drug release in response to DTT, BAC crosslinked starch nanoparticles showed a great potential as a biomaterial carrier for the application of drug controlled release. In contrast to BAC crosslinked starch nanoparticles, N,N-methylenebisacrylamine (MBA) crosslinked starch nanoparticles were prepared as the control without the disulfide linkages.

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