Abstract:

Sodium ferrous chlorophyllin was microencapsulated into chitosan-sodium alginate micropheres for the purpose of sustained release. The microencapsulation process for sodium ferrous chlorophyllin was optimized using orthogonal array design for achieving both higher entrapment efficiency and drug loading. Meanwhile, the sustained release of the prepared microcapsules in mimic gastric and intestinal environments was observed. The optimal microcapsule formula was found to be composed of 15 mg/mL sodium alginate, 4 mg/mL chitosan and 20 mg/L CaCl2 with a core material/wall material ratio of 1:4. The microcapsules obtained using this formula displayed good sustained-release performance in both mimic environments.

Key words: chitosan-sodium alginate sodium-sodium ferrous chlorophyllin microcapsules, drug loading, entrapment efficiency, sustained release