Characterization and Application of Glycol Chitosan-Proanthocyanidin Nanoparticles

Proanthocyanidin (PAC) encapsulated by glycol chitosan is used as a chemotherapeutic agent and compared to free PACs. The encapsulation efficiency of PAC was studied indirectly using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.  These loaded nanoparticles’ (NPs’) sizes were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). It was found that by adjusting the mass feed ratio of glycol chitosan and PAC in the preparation, the size of the NP formed may be controlled to between 100 and 300 nm. Fluorescent microscopy was used to study the effects of both encapsulated and free PAC on the MG-63 human osteosarcoma cell line at concentrations 100 µg/mL and 140 µg/mL after 24 hours of application. A quantitative analysis of cytotoxicity of PAC at 60, 100 and 140 µg/mL revealed that while the free PAC proved slightly more toxic to the cells, encapsulated PAC showed better dose-dependence. These results indicate that the encapsulation of PAC allows for the control of select properties while retaining chemotherapeutic effects.