Preparation and characterization of chitosan–polylactide composites blended with Cloisite 30B for control release of the anticancer drug paclitaxel

Chitosan (CS) and polylactide (PLA) at different ratios were blended with different wt% of montmorillonite (MMT) (Cloisite 30B) solution by the solvent evaporation method. MMT was incorporated in the formulation as a matrix material component which also plays the role of a co-emulsifier in the nanocomposite preparation. Paclitaxel (PTX) with different concentrations was loaded with CS–PLA/MMT nanocomposites for studying in vitro drug delivery systems. The composites were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and XRD methods. The drug release was studied as a function of, pH and drug concentrations. The kinetics of the drug release was studied in order to ascertain the type of release mechanism. Based on the diffusion as well as the kinetics, the mechanism of the drug release from the composite matrix has been reported.