Peptide-functionalized magnetic microcapsules loaded with dexamethasone for dual active targeted treatment of inner ear inflammation

Conventional administration of drugs to the inner ear involves therapeutic instability and non-specificity of release, and to overcome these limitations, various drug delivery systems have been developed. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize peptides-functionalized oligochitosan microcapsules loaded with Dexamethasone and magnetic nanoparticles, which can be used for dual active targeted treatment of inner ear inflammation. The diameter of spherical microcapsules in aqueous solutions was found in the micrometer range. In vitro dexamethasone release kinetics, capsules biodegradation, haemolysis and cellular viability on V79-4 normal cells were also investigated. The release efficiency of dexamethasone from the microcapsules was between 74% and 99.8% after 24 hours. Obtained results indicated that all analyzed microcapsules showed hemolysis degrees lower than 3%, which demonstrated their non-hemolytic character. The viability and morphology tests on V79-4 cells depended on the administered dose and after a 48-hour treatment, all analyzed capsules showed a non-toxic, weak or moderately cytotoxic effect.