5-FLUOROURACIL ENCAPSULATED CHITOSAN MICROSPHERES

Abstract

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic agent used in therapies for both systematically and topical treatment of different types of cancers. Depending on the period of application, its administration may lead to different side effects such as nausea, headache, pain or even photosensitivity. To avoid them, the drug may be encapsulated into polymeric particles. In the present study, bio polymeric spheres based on chitosan, a linear polysaccharide, are presented. The spheres are formulated by an emulsion technique with solvent evaporation. Three types of particles are synthesized: without crosslinker, with sodium tripolyphosphate and glutaraldehyde crosslinker. The resultant structures are evaluated regarding their size, morphology, and encapsulation efficiency. The crosslinking process and the drug presence in the particles is confirmed by FT-IR. A drug release study is conducted to examine the releasekinetics and understand the release behaviour depending on the presence and the type of the crosslinker.