Dopamine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles: formulation and analytical characterization.

The formulation and characterization of dopamine (DA)-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) are described as preliminary steps for the development of potential DA carrier systems intended for Parkinson's disease treatment. For this purpose, CSNPs were firstly produced and, afterwards, they were incubated in a DA aqueous solution to promote neurotransmitter loading. The characterization of the resulting nanoparticles started with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis to ascertain the presence of DA in the nanocarrier, whereas X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis provided evidence of the localization of DA on the nanoparticle surface. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was then exploited to investigate both swelling of CSNPs and interaction of DA with CSNPs. In particular, the QCM-D revealed that this interaction is fast and so this allows a stable nanostructured system to be obtained.