Chitosan and chitosan-polyethylenimine microspheres prepared by membrane emulsification and their application for drug delivery systems

The aim of this paper was to prepare chitosan microspheres characterised by a narrow dispersion of dimensions, suitable for application for drug delivery systems (DDS). The materials, unmodified as well as functionalised using polyethyleneimine were then used for encapsulation of drug-mimicking dyes. The polymeric beads were prepared by one stage process of membrane emulsification. The encapsulation and then evaluation of the release of an active component was carried out using two cytostatics-mimicking dyes: methyl orange and Congo red. The efficiency of encapsulation changed with a type of microspheres and the type of a dye. The highest sorption towards dyes was revealed by PEI-modified chitosan microspheres. Methyl orange was released with the better efficiency than Congo red from all types of microspheres.