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Reduced molecular weight chitosan was quaternized with 2-chloro-N,N-diethylethylamine to obtain a water soluble derivative (N + -rCh). Methylated-β-cyclodextrin (MCD), with 0.5 molar substitution, was covalently linked to N + -rCh through 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate spacer to give the derivatized ammonium chitosan N + -rCh-MCD. To shed light on the role of the cyclodextrin pendant in guiding binding interactions with amphiphilic active ingredients, corticosteroid prednisolone phosphate salt (PN) was considered. The deep inclusion of PN into cyclodextrin in PN/MCD model system was pointed out by analysis of 1 H NMR complexation shifts, 1D ROESY spectra, and diffusion measurements (DOSY). By using proton selective relaxation rates measurements as investigation tool, the superior affinity of N + -rCh-MCD towards PN was demonstrated in comparison with parent ammonium chitosan N + -rCh., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The ocular bioavailability of lipophilic drugs, such as dexamethasone, depends on both drug water solubility and mucoadhesion/permeation. Cyclodextrins and chitosan are frequently employed to either improve drug solubility or prolong drug contact onto mucosae, respectively. Although the covalent conjugation of cyclodextrin and chitosan brings to mucoadhesive drug complexes, their water solubility is restricted to acidic pHs. This paper describes a straightforward grafting of methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD) on quaternary ammonium chitosan (QA-Ch60), mediated by hexamethylene diisocyanate. The resulting product is a water-soluble chitosan derivative, having a 10-atom long spacer between the quaternized chitosan and the cyclodextrin. The derivative is capable of complexing the model drug dexamethasone and stable complexes were also observed for the lyophilized products. Furthermore, the conjugate preserves the mucoadhesive properties typical of quaternized chitosan and its safety as solubilizing excipient for ophthalmic applications was preliminary assessed by in vitro cytotoxicity evaluations. Taken as a whole, the observed features appear promising for future processing of the developed product into 3D solid forms, such as controlled drug delivery systems, films or drug eluting medical devices.

Affinities of quaternary ammonium-chitosan conjugates, their thiolated derivatives and corresponding nanostructured aggregates towards the hydrophilic drug [5-methionine]enkephalin were compared by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic methods based on proton selective relaxation rate measurements. Nanoaggregates showed enhanced drug affinity in comparison with corresponding polymers, especially in the case of thiolated systems., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Selective relaxation rate measurements effectively proved the affinity of dexamethasone 21-phosphate disodium salt for quaternary ammonium-chitosan conjugates, their thiolated derivatives and the corresponding nanostructured aggregates. Affinity was also probed by dynamic dialysis. The release profile of dexamethasone loaded nanoparticles was defined by quantitative NMR and interrupted dialysis experiments, and mucoadhesivity of empty nanoparticles was effectively probed by selective relaxation rate measurements., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The pH-induced structural modifications of the reaction product between chitosan and 2-diethylaminoethyl chloride are studied with the purpose of testing and comparing the resulting chitosan derivatives on the basis of their intestinal drug permeability-enhancing properties. The reaction reproducibly yielded conjugates comprising short pendant chains of n adjacent diethyl-dimethylene-ammonium groups substituted onto the primary amino group of the chitosan repeating unit. The more significant derivatives, N(+)-Ch-7 (degree of substitution, DS=41%; n=3) and N(+)-Ch-8 (DS=59%; n=1.7) were prepared at pH 7 and 8, respectively. The apparent permeability (P(app)) of excised rat intestine was determined by means of Ussing type chambers. The hydrophilic fluorescein sodium (NaFlu) and fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (MW 4400 Da) (FD-4), and the lipophilic rhodamine 123 (Rh-123), were applied in Ringer buffer to the apical side. Apical to basolateral transport was measured in the absence or presence of 0.5% (w/v) of the polymer under test. N(+)-Ch-7 and N(+)-Ch-8 were more effective P(app) enhancers than N-trimethyl-chitosan. Both N(+)-Ch-7 and N(+)-Ch-8 enhanced the P(app) of NaFlu (enhancement ratio, ER=1.84 and 1.33, respectively), while N(+)-Ch-8 was the more effective enhancer for FD-4 (ER=2.14). The P(app) of Rh-123 was significantly enhanced only by N(+)-Ch-7 (ER=1.37). Permeant-polymer binding counteracted the enhancement effect of polymer on transmembrane permeant flux. Contact with the chitosan conjugates did not impair the mucosal epithelium integrity.

Literature data suggest that quaternized chitosans have a transmucosal drug absorption enhancing property depending on their MW, quaternization degree and other structural features. With the purpose of preparing novel effective promoters, a chitosan (Ch) from crab shell (ChC; viscometric MW, 800 kDa; deacetylation: 90%, IR; 84%, NMR) and one from shrimp shell (ChS; viscometric MW, 590 kDa; deacetylation: 90%, IR; 82%, NMR) were reacted with 2-diethylaminoethyl chloride (DEAE-Cl) and novel derivatives containing different percentages of pendant quaternary ammonium groups were obtained. NMR analysis, based on HSQC, COSY, TOCSY and ROESY maps, indicated that three partially substituted N,O-[N,N-diethylaminomethyl(diethyldimethylene ammonium)(n)]methyl chitosans, coded N(+)-ChS-2 (degree of substitution, DS=40%; n=1.6), N(+)-ChS-4 (DS=132%; n=2.5), and N(+)-ChC-4 (DS=85%; n=1.7) resulted from the reaction, depending on whether the DEAE-Cl/Ch repeating unit molar ratio, was 2:1 or 4:1. The effects of the derivatives on the permeability of rhodamine 123 (Rh-123), hydrophobic, marker of the transcellular absorption route, and of fluorescein sodium (NaFlu), polar, marker of the paracellular route, across excised porcine cheek epithelium were assessed, using Franz type diffusion cells. Rh-123 permeability was enhanced by N(+)-ChS-4 (enhancement ratio, ER=8.4) and by N(+)-ChC-4 (ER=3.9), whereas N(+)-ChS-2 was ineffective. NaFlu permeability was enhanced by N(+)-ChS-2 (ER=7.2), N(+)-ChS-4 (ER=7.4) and N(+)-ChC-4 (ER=6.6). In conclusion, the three derivatives, whichever their DS, promote paracellular transport, while transcellular transport is substantially accelerated only by the most substituted one.