Development and characterization of acetylated breadfruit starch nanoparticles for the encapsulation of doxorubicin hydrochloride

Breadfruit starch ( Artocarpus altilis ) is a biodegradable biopolymer with considerable potential as a matrix for drug encapsulation. In this study, starch nanoparticles (StNP) were prepared via acid hydrolysis and subsequently modified through acetylation using acetic anhydride to improve their structural and functional properties. Acid hydrolysis produced nanoparticles with an average diameter of 181 nm, whereas acetylation resulted in larger particles of approximately 585 nm with a degree of substitution of 0.056. FTIR analysis confirmed the incorporation of acetyl groups through the appearance of a carbonyl band at 1736 cm −1 , while XRD indicated partial rearrangement of ordered regions without altering the native crystalline pattern. These findings were supported by DSC and SEM analyses, which revealed changes in thermal behavior and morphological evolution from native granules to nanoscale and subsequently irregular acetylated structures. Physicochemical evaluation showed reduced viscosity and swelling power accompanied by a marked increase in solubility. The acetylated nanoparticles (StNPAc) exhibited the highest loading performance, achieving a drug loading content (DLC) of 53.93 mg/g and a drug loading efficiency (DLE) of 80.90%. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential of acetylated breadfruit starch nanoparticles as a sustainable biopolymer-based platform for doxorubicin delivery.