Utilization of crab shell-derived chitosan in nanoparticle synthesis for curcumin delivery

1183-1188Chitosan derived from crustaceans is biodegradable as well as biocompatible and can be made into nanoparticles when chelated with chelators, such as sodium tripolyphosphate and barium chloride. In this study, crab shells-derived chitosan was chelated using sodium trimetaphosphate to form nanoparticles. Curcumin was encapsulated into nanoparticles and characterized using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The particles were found to be 18 nm in size, while the curcumin-loaded particles were 25 nm in size. The particles were observed to encapsulate 90% of the drug used. The nanoparticles produced were analyzed for in vitro controlled drug release against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans.