Abstract
Because it is both biocompatible and biodegradable, chitosan has been used to provide a protective capsule in new drug formulations. The present work reports on investigations into some of the physicochemical properties of chitosan-coated liposomes, including drug release rate, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential and turbidity measurement. It was found that chitosan increases liposome stability during drug release. The coating of DPPC liposomes with a chitosan layer was confirmed by electron microscopy and the zeta potential of liposomes. The coating of liposomes by chitosan resulted in a marginal increase in the size of the liposomes, adding a layer of (92 +/- 27.1 nm). The liposomal zeta potential was found to be increasingly positive as chitosan concentration increased from 0.1% to 0.3% (w/v), before stabilising at a relatively constant value. Turbidity studies revealed that the coating of DPPC liposomes with chitosan did not significantly modify the main phase transition temperature of DPPC at examined chitosan concentrations. The appropriate combination of liposomal and chitosan characteristics may produce liposomes with specific, prolonged and controlled release. (C) 2010 Cairo University. All rights reserved.