Small-sized cationic PLA nanoparticles scaffold for adsorption of negatively charged proteins
Nanoparticles, Nanoprecipitation, Protein release, Poly (lactic acid), Bovine serum albumin
In the present work, a low energy solvent displacement technique was used to produce sub 200 nm cationic poly (lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles for protein loading. Particles were functionalized with positive charge using hyper branched polyethylenimine (PEI). Particle size and surface characteristics were assessed with dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements and atomic force microscopy, which demonstrated that several important parameters, major the type and concentration of surfactant, were established to find an optimal and stable formulation. Cationic nanoparticles formulations stabilized with monoleate of sorbitan and poly (vinyl alcohol) showed a homogeneous and colloidal dispersion, with a narrowed particles size distribution in the range of 100–250 nm. Protein loading efficiency and zeta potential results demonstrated that bovine serum albumin (BSA) was successfully adsorbed on particle surface, which remained as a stable colloidal dispersion. Thus, a scaffold of a low energy method for producing cationic functionalized biodegradable nanoparticles was successfully developed and demonstrated a promising nanocarrier for protein or nucleic acids release.