Evaluation of a Smart Polymer Nanosphere for Potential Use in Anticancer Drug Delivery

Polypyrrole-chitosan (ppy-chit) hollow nanospheres have been synthesised using a simple route wherein dispersion polymerization of pyrrole was followed by treatment with aqueous ammonia, centrifugation and dialysis. Ppy-chit hollow nanospheres were characterized by techniques including transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, powder x-ray diffractometry and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The particle size and stability were assessed by using a Zetasizer. A model anticancer drug, Nile blue chloride, was loaded into the ppy-chit hollow nanospheres by adsorption, and the desorption profile showed that 88% of the dye was released at a typical physiological pH over a period of 5 hours. The combined molecular properties of chitosan and polypyrrole were beneficial to the drug delivery.