phytopharmaceutical development using chitosan-alginate nanoparticles conjugated with folic acid as a catechin carrier for breast cancer therapy

Catechins, a class of phenolic compounds with anticancer activity, are limited in therapeutic applications due to their low gastrointestinal bioavailability. to overcome this limitation, folic acid–conjugated chitosan–alginate nanoparticles were developed as a targeted delivery system for catechins. the study aimed to identify an optimal formulation exhibiting desirable physicochemical characteristics, stability, and controlled release behavior. a 2² full-factorial design was employed to explore four coating combinations (0.3% or 0.6% chitosan crossed with 0.3% or 0.6% alginate). nanoparticles were fabricated via ionic gelation and characterized for mean particle size, polydispersity index (pdi), zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency (ee). formulations with higher chitosan ratios yielded larger particles (up to ~750 nm) and lower ee (<85%), while those with elevated alginate levels produced smaller particles (~550 nm), higher ee (>90%), and more negative surface charges, enhancing colloidal stability. the optimal formulation (0.3% chitosan/0.6% alginate) exhibited a mean size of 605.9 ± 27.7 nm, pdi 0.334, zeta potential −40.87 mv, and ee > 92%. stability testing over 12 days demonstrated negligible changes in size and surface charge. in vitro release studies showed cumulative catechin release of 70.83% at 24 h, fitting the higuchi diffusion model. these findings confirm that folic acid–conjugated chitosan–alginate nanoparticles offer a robust, controlled-release platform to enhance catechin bioavailability and target folate receptor–overexpressing breast cancer cells, supporting their potential for improved therapeutic outcomes.