Fabrication of nanostructured multi-unit vehicle for intestinal-specific delivery and controlled release of peptide

An oral multi-unit delivery system was developed by incorporating the nanoparticle (NP) into the nanofiber mat and its efficiency for intestinal-specific delivery and controlled release of a peptide (insulin) was investigated. Initially, the influence of deacetylation degree (DD) of chitosan and ionic gelation methods on the properties of NPs was studied. High DD (95%) chitosan was attributed to higher encapsulation efficiency and stability when crosslinked with polyanion tripolyphosphate. Subsequently, the multi-unit system was fabricated using a pH-sensitive polymer (sodium alginate) as the coating layer to further encapsulate the NP. Fiber mat with an average diameter of 481 47 nm could significantly decrease the burst release of insulin in acidic condition and release most amount of insulin (>60%) in the simulated intestinal medium. Furthermore, the encapsulated peptide remained in good integrity. This multi-unit carrier provides the better-designed vehicle for intestinal-specific delivery and controlled release of the peptide.

Automated summary

A multi-unit oral delivery system incorporating nanoparticles into nanofiber mats was developed for the intestinal-specific delivery and controlled release of insulin peptide. The study found that high deacetylation degree chitosan crosslinked with polyanion tripolyphosphate improved encapsulation efficiency and stability of nanoparticles. Using a pH-sensitive polymer sodium alginate as a coating layer in the multi-unit system helped to decrease burst release of insulin in acidic conditions.