Ultra-small and innocuous cationic starch nanospheres: preparation, characterization and drug delivery study.

This research demonstrated the preparation of ultra-small cationic starch nanospheres for the first time. Unlike conventional cationic starch, the cationic starch in here could not form gel. The starch nanoparticles were obtained via reverse micro-emulsion method and were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS). The formation mechanism of cationic starch nanospheres was proposed and the effects of preparation conditions on particle size were also investigated. A cationic starch nanosphere with a size of 50 nm can be obtained under the optimal condition. Moreover, the drug release behaviors, cytotoxicity test and degradation analysis were tested and indicated that the particles possess good capacity in delivering the negatively charged molecules, biocompatibility and biodegradability. Thus, the cationic nanoparticles exhibit potential applications in the areas of food and medical sciences.