Synthesis and Characterization of Alginate-Chitosan Nanocarrier System for Empagliflozin Delivery

A biocompatible nanocarrier system was prepared by reacting Calcium Alginate (CA) with Chitosan (CS). The structure of synthesized nanocarrier chitosan-calcium alginate (CS-CA) was characterized using Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transforms InfraRed (FT-IR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Swellings of CS-CA and CA, and their ability for loading and in vitro release behavior of empagliflozin (EMP) were investigated. The results show that the capacity of loading on CS-CA is more than that of CA. For both nanocarriers, the release of the drug is higher in neutral pH (7.4 and 6.8) than in acidic pH (1.2). Although more release was observed for CA than CS-CA, the latter shows a favorable delay in the drug release in all pHs.  As a result, CS-CA nanocarrier is suggested as a new candidate for an EMP colon drug delivery.