Chitosan/alginate nanoparticles stabilized by poloxamer for the controlled release of 5‐fluorouracil

In this study, stable 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)‐loaded chitosan (CS)/alginate (Alg) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared with poloxamer as a surfactant. The effects of the Alg concentration, CS/Alg weight ratio, and poloxamer concentration on the properties of the 5‐FU‐loaded CS/Alg NPs were studied. The results of dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy indicated that stable 5‐FU‐loaded CS/Alg NPs of around 200 nm with low‐size polydispersities were achieved. Furthermore, the in vitro release of the 5‐FU‐loaded CS/Alg NPs was investigated in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4. The results show that the encapsulation efficiency of 5‐FU depended on the drug feeding amount (DFA), poloxamer concentration, Alg concentration, and CS concentration. However, the in vitro release rate of the 5‐FU‐loaded CS/Alg NPs was only related to the DFA, Alg concentration, and CS concentration and was independent of the poloxamer concentration. The time of 5‐FU release from the CS/Alg NPs could becontrolled to be sustained for more than 12 h. According to this study, CS/Alg NPs stabilized by poloxamer could serve as a suitable candidate for the controlled release of 5‐FU.