Chitosan nanoparticles as a new delivery system for the anti-Alzheimer drug tacrine.

Tacrine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by spontaneous emulsification. The particle size and zeta potential was determined by scanning probe microscopy and Zetasizer, respectively. The prepared particles showed good drug-loading capacity. The in vitro release studies showed that after the initial burst, all the drug-loaded batches provided a continuous and slow release of the drug. Coating of nanoparticles with Polysorbate 80 slightly reduced the drug release from the nanoparticles. Release kinetics studies showed that the release of drug from nanoparticles was diffusion-controlled, and the mechanism of drug release was Fickian. The biodistribution of these particles after intravenous injection in rats showed that of nanoparticles coated with 1% Polysorbate 80 altered the biodistribution pattern of nanoparticles. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: In this paper, chitosan nanoparticles are investigated in a pre-clinical study as an optimized delivery system for tacrin, a drug with potential significance in Alzheimer's disease. The preparation showed optimal pharmacokinetic characteristics in a rat model. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.