Physicochemical and Stability Study of Chitosan-Coated Nanoliposomes: Effects of Polymer Molecular Weight and Ultrahigh Pressure Homogenization-UHPH
This study evaluated the effect of chitosan with a high degree of deacetylation (75–85%) and three different molecular weights—low (50–190 kDa), medium (190–310 kDa), and high (310–375 kDa)—on the coating of vesicular systems. Chitosan solutions were characterized in acidulated aqueous medium by determining changes in pH, electrical conductivity, zeta potential, surface tension, viscosity, transmittance, particle size, and polydispersity index (PDI) with respect to polymer concentration. Subsequently, nanoliposomes were developed using an ethanol injection method assisted by ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) prior to coating. The characterization of the vesicular systems involved particle size analysis, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential, which were evaluated at zero time and at the fourth week prior to storage at 4 °C and 40 °C. The physicochemical characterization of chitosan solutions displayed an inflection point at 1 × 10−3 M, which was taken as the coating concentration. In general, non-coated liposomes ranged between 150 and 200 nm, with low polydispersity (<0.3) and negative zeta potentials around ~−43 mV. Chitosan coating significantly increased particle size and PDI, while decreasing zeta potential values, but within the same negative value range, suggesting a slight interfacial coating effect. Finally, the systems subjected to UHPH and coated with high- and medium-molecular-weight chitosan showed interesting stabilization against storage conditions in the thermal stress tests.