Synthesis of Aloevera/Acrylonitrile based Nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery of 5-Aminosalicylic acid.

Aloevera (AV) polysaccharide/acrylonitrile (AN) nanoparticles (AVANp4 of ∼50nm size) have been crafted via free radical polymerization method using persulfate/ascorbic acid (KPS/AA) and methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the redox initiator and crosslinker respectively. AVANp4 was extensively characterized using FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD, and Thermal analysis (TGA & DTG). Inclusion of AN in AV polysaccharide has been evidenced by nitrile stretching peak at 2244cm-1 in FTIR spectrum of AVANp4. Colon specific targeted in-vitro release of 5-Aminosalicylic acid from AVANp4 has been studied in pH 1.2 and pH 7.4 buffer solutions at 37°C. The controlled release was witnessed up to 48h for AVANp4 in contrast to AV for which the release exhausted within 7-8h in both the buffers. The delayed release of the drug from AVANp4 is attractive since it can allow the drug to reach colon rather than being released in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.