On the Mucoadhesive Properties of Chitosan-Coated Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles Loaded with Curcumin Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring

Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D) was used to investigate the mucoadhesive properties of nanoparticles decorated with low, medium and high molar mass chitosan (CS). Uncoated and chitosan-coated polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles loaded with curcumin were prepared by nanoprecipitation method and characterized in terms of size, surface charge and drug content. The interactions between nanoparticles and mucin layer were monitored after the treatment of SAM-functionalized gold-coated quartz crystals with bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM). The results show that all investigated chitosan-coated nanoparticles adsorb onto the BSM layer, and the mass uptake was found to be independent of the chitosan molar mass. Uncoated nanoparticles showed, however, no affinity with BSM layer, confirming that the adsorption of colloidal systems occurs due to their decoration with chitosan. The adhesion is mainly attributed to electrostatic interactions between protonated amino groups of mucoadhesive chitosan and negatively charged groups of mucin. The results suggest that chitosan-coated nanoparticles are promising carriers for hydrophobic drugs delivery in the buccal mucosa.