SULFONAMIDE-CHITOSAN MUCOADHESIVE POLYMERS FOR DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Abstract

The objective of this research was to increase mucoadhesive properties of chitosan and then evaluate for using as mucoadhesive drug carrier. Two mucoadhesive modified chitosan, sulfanilamide-chitosan (SM-chitosan) and stearic-4-carboxybenzenesulfonamide-N-trimethylchitosan (SA-4-CBS), were synthesized by covalent attachment of sulfonamide derivatives to chitosan and N-trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMC) in the form of hydrogel and self-assembly, respectively. Mucoadesive SM-chitosan was prepared in the form of physically crosslinked hydrogel to overcome the problem of slippery mucilage due to overhydration, especially in gastric environment (SGF, pH 1.2). An easy and stable one step was presented to fabricate self-assembled well-ordered SA-4-CBS-TMC nanofiber. Nanofiber was designed by only re-dispersing the compound in distilled water at a concentration of 3.33 mg/mL. The self-assembled nanofibers had a diameter of 112.23 ± 11.96 nm with a narrow width distribution. Furthermore, the ordered molecular organization of nanofibers led to high thermal stability and enhanced mucoadhesive properties compared to native chitosan. Therefore, both SM-chitosan and SA-4-CBS-TMC could be suitable to use in gastrointestinal tract.