Dextran-Based Nanoparticles to Formulate pH-Responsive Pickering Emulsions: A Fully Degradable Vector at a Day Scale

• Published in: Biomacromolecules 2020-12, Vol.21 (12), p.5358-5368
• Main Authors: Maingret, Valentin, Courrégelongue, Clémence, Schmitt, Véronique, Héroguez, Valérie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; Condensed Matter; Material chemistry; Physics; Soft Condensed Matter
• ISSN: 1525-7797; 1526-4602
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01489

Biosourced Pickering emulsion stabilizers with stimuli responsiveness are mostly designed for recycling and do not offer fast degradability as required for drug-delivery applications. Herein, dextrana hydrophilic and biofriendly polysaccharide obtainable from biomass recoverywas used for the first time as a brick material for the formulation of (bio)­degradable pH-sensitive Pickering emulsions. It was first modified with hydrophobic acetal moieties to provide pH-sensitive acetalated dextran. Under acidic conditions, it degrades into three biocompatible (macro)­molecules: dextran, ethanol, and acetone. Nanoparticles of acetalated dextran were obtained using the nanoprecipitation process and could be similarly fully hydrolyzed under acidic conditions within 6 h. Then, O/W Pickering emulsions of dodecane (model oil) and medium-chain triglyceride (biocompatible oil) were successfully stabilized using these nanoparticles. pH-induced destabilization of these Pickering emulsions (including nanoparticles degradation) took less than 24 h. Finally, neither accumulation of nanoparticles nor harmful component release happened during the process, making this stimuli-responsive vector safe and environmentally friendly.