Polyethylene Glycol-Modified Chitosan (Cs-PEG): A pH-Responsive Nanocarrier for Doxorubicin (DOX) delivery

The aim of this research was simple preparation of the modified chitosan by polyethylene glycol (Cs-PEG) through a green procedure. To achieve this goal, polyethylene glycol was grafted to the chitosan and making a hydrogel. In particular, chitosan, a natural polymer, stands out as a first-choice material for hydrogels elaboration in biomedical, cosmetic, and health related applications, owing to its interesting properties including biocompatibility, biodegradability, antimicrobial capacity, and mucoadhesivity. Moreover, chitosan also allows drugs to absorb easier through biological barriers. pH-Responsive nanoparticles are regarded as an ideal candidate for anticancer drug targets. The obtained nanomaterial was characterized by using different spectroscopic, microscopic and analytical methods. Various techniques and methods namely Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) were utilized to identify the nanomaterial. Then, the doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto the Cs-PEG hydrogel, as a pH-responsive nanocarrier, for anticancer drug delivery. In conclusion, the efficiency of the drug load increases because of the hydrogel structure of the Cs-PEG and it can decrease the side effects of drugs including DOX.