Characteristics and Release Profile : Formula of Insulin Nanoparticles using Medium Molecular Weight Chitosan and Pectin Polymers

Abstract

Insulin is a macromolecular polypeptide hormone with low drug stability and permeability along the digestive tract. The nanoparticle delivery system has been proven to be able to increase the bioavailability of per-oral insulin. However, the formulation of insulin nanoparticles using chitosan and pectin polymers has not been widely studied. The purpose of this research is to figure out the physical characteristics and profile of insulin release from nanoparticle formulas made with ionic gelation techniques using chitosan and pectin polymers. The 0.1% insulin nanoparticle formula is made with variations of 2 levels of medium molecular chitosan and pectin concentrations to obtain 4 formulas, i.e. F1 (0.01%; 0.1%), F2 (0.03%; 0.1%), F3 (0.01%; 0.2%), and F4 (0.03%; 0.2%). The optimum formula is determined by the factorial design method contained in the Design Expert program using response characteristics in the form of percentage of the entrapment efficiency and zeta potential value. The selected formula is then tested for particle size and shape, and insulin release profile in vitro. The particle size and morphology are observed with TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), while the insulin release profile is determined on HCl buffer media pH 1.2 and PBS pH 6.8. The optimization results of the formula show that F1 is the optimum formula with a desirability value of 0.786. The selected formula shows that the entrapment efficiency is 57.66%, the zeta potential is 12.0 mV, the shape of particles is spherical, and the size is <500 nm. In vitro studies show the profile of insulin release from the matrix following the Weibull kinetics model on HCl and Korsmeyer-Peppas media on PBS media, using the Fickian diffusion method. Overall, the insulin nanoparticles obtained have met the expected characteristic of the nanoparticles.