Chronic wounds are a significant problem: among the roughly 2 million nosocomial infections that occur annually within the US, nearly 125,000 result in lower extremity amputation. Chitosan and pectin, natural polysaccharides that behave as weak polyelectrolytes in solution, can create nanoparticles that may exhibit wound healing properties superior to that of current wound healing technology. Chitosan displays antibacterial properties and pectin helps to prevent persistent acute inflammation. Here, 460 nm to 1.0 �m chitosan:pectin nanoparticles were generated via an ionic suspension. Systematically, the physiochemical properties were investigated as a function of mass ratio, concentration, addition order, and pH. The morphology, size, and zeta potential of the chitosan:pectin particles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and electrophoretic light scattering, respectively. Due to the presence of chitosan, the generated particles had a high positive surface charge with a zeta potential ranging from +19 to +47 mV. The size and surface charge of the particles were found to have an inverse correlation to solution pH: both decrease with increasing pH until dissociation at pH 6. Particles at various mass ratios demonstrated decreasing surface charge over the course of two weeks before losing stability. Our results indicate that chitosan:pectin particles could potentially be used for degradable wound dressing applications that would benefit from the intrinsic properties of chitosan and pectin.Proposed structure of chitosan:pectin nanoparticles generated via water-based ionic gelation method.

Synthesis of chitosan:pectin nanoparticles for improved wound healing

246th National Meeting (2013)

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