Synthesis and Characterization of an Amphiphilic Linoleic Acid‐g‐Quaternary Chitosan with Low Toxicity

Abstract

A novel amphiphilic derivative of chitosan, namely, a linoleic acid‐g‐quaternary chitosan (LA‐g‐QC), was designed and synthesized as low toxic material for biomedical applications in this study. The chemical structure of LA‐g‐QC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H‐NMR), and elemental analysis. LA‐g‐QC could form nanosized micelles with self‐assembly, which was confirmed by the results of critical micelle concentration (CMC) via fluorescence spectroscopy. The average size of LA‐g‐QC was 140 nm and its zeta potential was approximately +35.50 mV. CMC value was 31.00 mg/mL. Furthermore, LA‐g‐QC micelles, at final concentrations between 0.94 μ g/mL and 30 μ g/mL, did not inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 or SMMC 7721 cell lines. Taken together, LA‐g‐QC has low cytotoxicity and high potential for the preparation of novel drug‐delivery micelles.