Oxidation and pH responsive nanoparticles based on ferrocene-modified chitosan oligosaccharide for 5-fluorouracil delivery

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles based on biodegradable and biocompatible saccharides are potentially superior carriers under different physical conditions. In this study, we present a detailed investigation on the oxidation and pH responses of ferrocene-modified chitosan oligosaccharide (FcCOS) nanoparticles for 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) Delivery. The dispersion of FcCOS nanoparticles depends strongly on pH change. NaClO, H2O2 and oxygen, as oxidant models, in a weak acid solution displayed varying accelerations as the disassembly progressed. 5-FU, as a drug model, is efficiently uploaded in FcCOS nanoparticle (approximately 238 nm). The in vitro release of 5-FU from FcCOS nanoparticles studies show that the accumulative release increased with the decrease of pH under bubbled N2. Interestingly, the sample under bubbled air has a higher accumulative release up to 59.64% at pH 3.8, compared with samples under bubbled N2 just 49.02%. The results suggested that FcCOS nanoparticles disassembled faster and the release of drug molecules was accelerated because of the synergistic effect of oxidative agent and low pH. Thus, FcCOS can be developed as an effective pH and oxidation dual-responsive carrier to enhance drug efficacy for cancer treatment.