CaCO3 Rods as Chitosan-Polygalacturonic Acid Carriers for Bromopyruvic Acid Delivery

The natural properties of chitosan (CHI), such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, have stimulated its use as drug delivery carrier in several applications, including layer-by-layer assembly and polymer self assembly. In this work we have aimed at producing chitosan microtubes by using CaCO3 rods doped with poly allylamine hydrochloride (PAH) as templates. The shape of the CaCO3 particles could be controlled upon addition of PAH during synthesis. A CHI-PgA complex was formed upon electrostatic binding of polygalacturonic acid (PgA) to CHI, to produce capsules for bromopyruvic acid delivery. Morphological investigations of the size and shape of CaCO3 rods were performed by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor the characteristic bands in PAH, CHI, PgA and CaCO3. Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were investigated. Control of CaCO3 growth during synthesis towards elongated shapes by using PAH was confirmed. These results envisage the use of chitosan-polygalacturonic acid micro/nanotubes as efficient drug delivery system for encapsulation of bromopyruvic acid as blocker for glycolytic enzymes.