Abstract
6 mercaptopurine is a cytotoxic and immune-suppressant drug. The use of this drug is limited due to its poor bioavailability and short plasma half-life. The main objective of this study is to formulate 6 mercaptopurine (6 MP) encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (6-MP-CNPs) using Tripolyphosphate (TPP) as cross-linker for anti-cancer therapy in order to enhance bioavailability. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential. The average particle size determined through TEM was found to be 90 +/- 10 nm and after encapsulation the particle size had shown an obvious increase, Zeta potential 26.2 +/- 6.35 mV. 6 MP-CNPs showed enhancement in cellular inhibition of breast cancer cell line MCF 7 compared to free 6 MP.