151
Thomas Mavromoustakos et al. (eds.), Supramolecules in Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2207, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0920-0_12,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
Chapter 12
Drug Delivery Systems Based on Modified
Polysaccharides: Synthesis and Characterization
Aikaterini-Foteini Metaxa, Eleni Vrontaki, Eleni K. Efthimiadou,
and Thomas Mavromoustakos
Abstract
Common chemotherapeutic drugs exhibit no specificity for cancer cells and destroy simultaneously healthy
cells exhibiting high toxicity and reduced efficacy. The use of nanotechnology, especially of drug delivery
systems to the size of the nanoscale, provides rational drug design solutions. Such nanomaterials may have
a range of desired characteristics (lack of toxicity, response to certain characteristics of the cancer cells,
antimicrobial properties, specific activity, etc.) in order to achieve targeted cancer therapy. In this chapter,
polymeric systems with core-shell structure are synthesized, characterized, and studied as potent drug
delivery devices for targeted cancer therapy. These polymeric systems are based on natural polysaccharides
like cellulose, chitosan, and their derivatives, in combination with synthetic polymer. Polymethylmethacrylate
(PMMA) nanospheres are used as a core in order to coat the surface with multiple layers of polysaccharides
via layer-by-layer deposition. This design is advantageous due to the use of water as the appropriate solvent. Fabricated polymeric carriers are characterized structurally by AT-IR spectroscopy and morphologically by transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, daunorubicin, an anticancer
agent, was encapsulated as a drug model into the carriers.
Key words Drug delivery systems, Polysaccharides, Chitosan, Cellulose, Drug vehicles
1 Introduction
In recent years, scientific research has focused on investigating new
systems for early diagnosis and therapy against different types of
cancer. Although a broad variety of chemotherapeutic agents are
developed, these suffer from a lack of specificity [1]. Due to this,
the chemotherapeutic agents along with the tumor cells destroy
also the healthy cells and therefore exhibit high toxicity [2]. To
reduce the toxicity, dose administration is minimized and at the
same time their activity and their effectiveness are reduced [3].
These problems can be solved with the use of drug delivery systems at the nanoscale, aimed directly at the pathogenic area [4, 5].
Thomas Mavromoustakos et al. (eds.), Supramolecules in Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2207, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0920-0_12,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
Chapter 12
Drug Delivery Systems Based on Modified
Polysaccharides: Synthesis and Characterization
Aikaterini-Foteini Metaxa, Eleni Vrontaki, Eleni K. Efthimiadou,
and Thomas Mavromoustakos
Abstract
Common chemotherapeutic drugs exhibit no specificity for cancer cells and destroy simultaneously healthy
cells exhibiting high toxicity and reduced efficacy. The use of nanotechnology, especially of drug delivery
systems to the size of the nanoscale, provides rational drug design solutions. Such nanomaterials may have
a range of desired characteristics (lack of toxicity, response to certain characteristics of the cancer cells,
antimicrobial properties, specific activity, etc.) in order to achieve targeted cancer therapy. In this chapter,
polymeric systems with core-shell structure are synthesized, characterized, and studied as potent drug
delivery devices for targeted cancer therapy. These polymeric systems are based on natural polysaccharides
like cellulose, chitosan, and their derivatives, in combination with synthetic polymer. Polymethylmethacrylate
(PMMA) nanospheres are used as a core in order to coat the surface with multiple layers of polysaccharides
via layer-by-layer deposition. This design is advantageous due to the use of water as the appropriate solvent. Fabricated polymeric carriers are characterized structurally by AT-IR spectroscopy and morphologically by transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, daunorubicin, an anticancer
agent, was encapsulated as a drug model into the carriers.
Key words Drug delivery systems, Polysaccharides, Chitosan, Cellulose, Drug vehicles
1 Introduction
In recent years, scientific research has focused on investigating new
systems for early diagnosis and therapy against different types of
cancer. Although a broad variety of chemotherapeutic agents are
developed, these suffer from a lack of specificity [1]. Due to this,
the chemotherapeutic agents along with the tumor cells destroy
also the healthy cells and therefore exhibit high toxicity [2]. To
reduce the toxicity, dose administration is minimized and at the
same time their activity and their effectiveness are reduced [3].
These problems can be solved with the use of drug delivery systems at the nanoscale, aimed directly at the pathogenic area [4, 5].