In situ formation of chitosan-cyclodextrin nanospheres for drug delivery.

Chitosan-cyclodextrin nanospheres were prepared by in situ formation through Michael addition between N-maleated chitosan (NMC) and per-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin sodium salt in an aqueous medium. This facile preparation method did not involve any organic solvent and surfactant. Through adjusting the preparation conditions, the nanospheres with a relatively narrow size distribution could be obtained. The obtained nanospheres were characterized by TEM and particle size analyzer. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX·HCl), a water soluble anticancer drug, was loaded in the nanospheres with a high encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro drug release showed that the release of DOX·HCl from the nanospheres could be effectively sustained. The cytotoxicity evaluation showed the drug loaded nanospheres exhibited efficient inhibition on HeLa cells.