Improving Decorporation Efficacy of DTPA and HOPO Using Chitosan/TPP Nanoparticles: Preparation, Characterization and Release Testing

The purpose of this research is to synthesize chitosan nanoparticles with encapsulated DTPA or 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO), in a hope to improve the efficacy of the decorporation agents by taking advantage of the mucoadhesion property of chitosan. The resultant CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering, which can provide information about morphology, chemical structure and size distribution, respectively. The release profiles of CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles were obtained via in vitro release studies. The release process includes an initial burst period, a slow release in the later stage, and a relatively stable level in the final stage. Lysozyme has no effect on the drug release from the CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles.This cationic protein will not greatly change the final cumulative amount of the decorporation agents released from the CS-DTPA/TPP or CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles.