Browsing by Subject "polyelektrolyytti kompleksi"

Casein based formulations are promising materials for controlled drug release. Caseins are the major milk proteins, and their biocompatibility, low toxicity and natural metabolism in physiological systems make caseins extremely suitable materials for pharmaceutical formulations. Polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles can be prepared under very mild conditions, and they are stable in the gastrointestinal tract, which makes them suitable carrier materials for oral delivery and controlled release of peptide and protein drugs. Aim of this work was to synthesize casein-poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles in different mass ratios, and to study the release profile of a model compound rhodamine 6G from these nanoparticles. The casein shell of the nanoparticles was crosslinked with two different crosslinkers, because the objective was to study the effect of surface modification on size of nanoparticles as well as on the release profile of the model compound. The goal was to achieve controlled release of the model compound by modifying the thickness and the density of the casein shell structure. Size and size distribution of nanoparticles was studied by dynamic light scattering. Surface charge was studied by electrophoretic mobility measurements. Morphology was characterized with electron microscopy, and the effect of the casein shell thickness on the release of rhodamine 6G was studied with dialysis method. The synthesized nanoparticles had spherical morphology, but the size distribution was wide. The release of rhodamine 6G was slower from the nanoparticles when compared to the release of reference free rhodamine 6G, but the effect of casein shell thickness on the release of loaded rhodamine 6G remained partially unclear. However, it seems possible to achieve controlled release of encapsulated compounds from casein-poly(acrylic acid) nanoparticles with optimal surface modification in the future.