Chitosan-electroactive polymer blends and grafted copolymers as potential smart drug-delivery materials

Chitosan is derived from a natural polymer; it is biocompatible and is used in drug-release systems, often based on the fact that it swells or dissolves in water at low pH. Synthetic conducting polymers have applications in biosensors and energy storage, and some of them are completely biocompatible too.

This project involves the preparation and study of nanoparticles and/or thin films that combine both types of polymer. The basic strengths of some conducting electroactive polymers depend on their environment. This can be modified by chemical functionalisation to give the combined polymers useful smart properties for pharmaceutic applications; specific (bio)chemical conditions existing inside a target organ could be used to trigger the release of species from the electroactive polymer that will dissolve the chitosan – hence releasing therapeutic drugs. We shall make combined samples of the two polymers and investigate the effects of various environments on their solubility, morphology and drug-release. Analytical techniques to be used will include cyclic voltammetry, infrared and UV-visible spectrometry, x-ray diffractometry and microscopy. Profiles and kinetics for the release of model drug compounds will be determined by spectroluminescence measurements. Finally, in-vitro studies will be made of the efficacy of released drugs against selected cancer cell lines under appropriate simulated bioenvironmental conditions.