A novel permeation enhancer: N-succinyl chitosan on the intranasal absorption of isosorbide dinitrate in rats

The purpose of this paper is to study the potential of N-succinyl chitosan as a novel permeation enhancer for the intranasal absorption of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). A series of N-succinyl chitosan (NSCS) with different degree of succinylation (DS) and molecular weight were synthesized. An in situ nasal perfusion technique in rats was utilized to investigate the effect of NSCS substitution degree, NSCS molecular weight and concentration on the intranasal absorption of ISDN. The absorption enhancing effect of NSCS was compared with that of chitosan. It was found that all the NSCS investigated improved the intranasal absorption of ISDN remarkably. Better promoting effect was observed for 0.1% NSCS 50 (63) compared with 0.5% chitosan 50. In nasal ciliotoxicity test, both NSCS and chitosan investigated showed good safety profiles. Thereafter, in vivo studies of the selected formulations were carried out in rats and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and compared with that of intravenous injection. Both in situ and in vivo studies demonstrated that NSCS is more effective than chitosan in promoting intranasal absorption of ISDN. Taking both absorption enhancing and safety reason into account, we suggest NSCS is a promising intranasal absorption enhancer.

Graphical abstractMean plasma concentration–time profiles after intranasal application of isosorbide dinitrate with 0.5% chitosan 50 and 0.1% N-succinyl chitosan 50 (63) in rats, compared with the control group, intragastric administration and intravenous injection group. Indicated values are the mean of five experiments (n = 5). This study indicated the potential of N-succinyl chitosan as a novel absorption enhancer for mucosal drug delivery.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (93 K)Download as PowerPoint slide