Self-assembled micelles of N-phthaloyl-carboxymethychitosan for drug delivery

Micelles were self-assembled from N-phthaloyl-carboxymethylchitosan (CMPhCh) in a DMF-H2O mixture solution, and they were used to evaluate drug deliveries of levofloxacine hydrochloride (Lfloxin) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Their morphologies and the physical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns, fluorescence intensity, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CMPhCh in aqueous solution was 0.20 mg/mL. The CMPhCh loaded with Lfloxin exhibited micelles having 60–90 nm diameters, whereas that with BSA displayed vesicular shape with 30–200 nm diameters. Moreover, the Lfloxin and BSA could be controlled to release within 72 h in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), indicating promising applications of the CMPhCh micelles in the drug delivery and release fields.