Synthesis of Nanosized Chitosan-Poly(acrylic acid) Particles by a Dropping Method

Synthesis of Nanosized Chitosan-Poly(acrylic acid) Particles by a Dropping Method
Published Online: 13 Apr 2004
Received: 22 October 2003; Revised: 9 February 2004; Accepted: 18 February 2004
Tao-Chih Chang 1, Jian-Wen Wang 2 *, Min-Hsiung Hon 1
Macromolecular Bioscience
Volume 4, Issue 4 , Pages 416 - 420
Wiley InterScience
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
2Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Chung Hwa College of Medical Technology, 89 Wun-Hua Street 1, Rende, Tainan 71741, Taiwan

email: Jian-Wen Wang (jinwen.tw@yahoo.com.tw)
*Correspondence to Jian-Wen Wang, Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Chung Hwa College of Medical Technology, 89 Wun-Hua Street 1, Rende, Tainan 71741, Taiwan. Fax: 886(6)2380208
Keywords
chitosan ? DNA carrier ? membranes ? poly(acrylic acid)
Abstract
Summary: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines are being investigated extensively because of their excellent potential over conventional protein ones. A suitable DNA carrier, consisting of uniformly dispersed chitosan-poly(acrylic acid) particles with an average size of 30 nm, was successfully synthesized by a dropping method with a ratio of chitosan solution to poly(acrylic acid) solution of 1:1 and was incubated in a buffer solution with a pH value of 3.0. The particle size increased from 35.76 to 45.90 nm when the pH value of the buffer solution was increased from 3.0 to 7.4. After freeze-drying, the non-incubated mixed solution showed a membranous morphology. A powdered product was formed from the mixed solution as incubated in buffer solution with pH values of 3.0 and 5.3. However, when the mixed solution was incubated in a buffer solution of pH 7.4, a mixture of membrane and powder was obtained.