Development of Copoly (Dl-lactic/Glycolic Acid) Nanospheres Coated with Chitosan to Optimize Intra-Articular Delivery System: Binding Enhancement to Synovial Cells from Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

The present study investigated the inflamed synovial cell-adhesive copoly (dl-lactic/glycolic acid) (PLGA) particulate system to optimize intra-articular drug administration. Using fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate bound to PLGA ([FITC] PLGA), [FITC] PLGA nanospheres were prepared by the modified emulsion solvent diffusion method and the surface of the nanospheres (NS) were coated with a bioadhesive polymer, chitosan (MW: 50,000). The surface coating of the [FITC] PLGA NS with chitosan was confirmed by the zeta-potential profile. The effect of coating the [FITC] PLGA NS with chitosan was evaluated by measuring the binding profile to the cultured synovial cells originated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The chitosan-coated nanospheres showed high binding ability to the synovial cells as compared to non-coated nanospheres. It was assumed that the chitosan-coated PLGA NS was delivered more quickly to inflammatory cells after intra-articular administration.