This work aims to determine the optimal conditions for emulsion cross-linking of chitosan (CHS) with various molecular weights using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent to produce 5-fluorouracil-loaded CHS microspheres (5-FU/CHS). Their drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies are found to be in the range of 3.87–12.35% and 20.13–70.45%, respectively. The dynamic light scattering results show that 5-FU/CHS microspheres are micron-sized with a uniform size distribution, and the scanning electron microscopy results show that they are spherical. The results of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrate that 5-FU is successfully incorporated into the microspheres. The in vitro release tests show that 5-FU/CHS have a prolonged, pH-responsive release pattern of 5-FU, and the cumulative release rate under acidic condition is much larger than that under neutral conditions. The drug release kinetic analysis further demonstrates that the release of 5-FU can be well described by the Fickian diffusion model.
Ke Wang,Ya-qiong Huang,Xiao-han Cheng,Jen-taut Yeh
The micro foaming performance, moisture resistance and dynamic viscosity of scCO2-aid glutaraldehyde/hexametaphosphate/thermoplastic tapioca starch (GA/SHMP/TOS) foams were considerably improved by proper NaOH treatment. The expansion ratio, resilience rate, dynamic viscosity values of these NaOH modified foams improved to a maximum, as the time for NaOH treatment approached a proper value. The dynamic viscosity, expansion ratio and resilience rate of the scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS foams modified using 110 atm scCO2-pressure, the proper alkali treatment time, SHMP loading and varying montmorillonite (MMT) loadings improved further, as their MMT loadings approached a proper value of 2.5 part per hundred parts of tapioca starch (PHTOS). Relatively large dynamic viscosity (7.1x104 Pa·s), extremely large expansion ratio (∼75), cell density (1.1x109 cells/cm3) and/or resilience rate (∼80%) were acquired for the scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foam modified using the proper alkali treatment time and MMT loading. Thermal analyses results showed that crystallization onset temperatures and crystallization rates of scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foams modified using the proper alkali treatment time and varying MMT loadings improved to a highest value by adding 2.5 PHTOS of MMT nano-platelets. Possible reasons accounting for the considerably improved micro foaming performance of scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foams modified using the proper alkali treatment time and MMT loading are proposed in this study.