Study of artemisinin nanocapsules as anticancer drug delivery systems

Artemisinin (ART) crystals were encapsulated with chitosan, gelatin, and alginate for the purpose of controlled release. These polyelectrolytes were alternatively deposited on ART crystals sized about 766 nm through the layer-by-layer technique. Size distribution, zeta potential, and swelling property of ART nanocapsules were measured. The morphology of ART nanocapsules was observed by transmission electron microscopy after dissolution. Release property of ART nanocapsules was measured in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). It was proved that the ART nanocapsules dispersed well in aqueous solutions. Hydrophilicity of ART crystals was improved after encapsulation. The ART drug release rate was tuned by the properties of polyelectrolyte solutions, such as polyelectrolyte type, number of polyelectrolyte multilayers, sodium chloride concentration, and ethanol concentration in polyelectrolyte solution, and so on. Our research provides a feasible method of achieving prolonged drug release through self-assembly of polyelectrolytes on natural drug crystals.