Autor(es):
Dionísio, Marita 
; Cordeiro, Clara ; Remuñán-López, Carmen ; Seijo, Begoña ; Costa, Ana M. Rosa da ; Grenha, Ana
Data: 2013
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/3219
Origem: Sapientia - Universidade do Algarve
Assunto(s): Pullulan; Nanoparticles; Protein delivery
Descrição
Polymeric nanoparticles have revealed very effective in transmucosal delivery of
proteins. Polysaccharides are among the most used materials for the production of these
carriers, owing to their structural flexibility and propensity to evidence biocompatibility
and biodegradability. In parallel, there is a preference for the use of mild methods for
their production, in order to prevent protein degradation, ensure lower costs and easier
procedures that enable scaling up.
In this work we propose the production of pullulan-based nanoparticles by a mild
method of polyelectrolyte complexation. As pullulan is a neutral polysaccharide,
sulfated and aminated derivatives of the polymer were synthesized to provide pullulan
with a charge. These derivatives were then complexed with chitosan and carrageenan,
respectively, to produce the nanocarriers. Positively charged nanoparticles of 180-270
nm were obtained, evidencing ability to associate bovine serum albumin, which was
selected as model protein. In PBS pH 7.4, pullulan-based nanoparticles were found to
have a burst release of 30% of the protein, which maintained up to 24h. Nanoparticle
size and zeta potential were preserved upon freeze-drying in the presence of appropriate
cryoprotectants. A factorial design was approached to assess the cytotoxicity of raw
materials and nanoparticles by the metabolic test MTT. Nanoparticles demonstrated to
not cause overt toxicity in a respiratory cell model (Calu-3). Pullulan has, thus,
demonstrated to hold potential for the production of nanoparticles with an application in
protein delivery.
