Clarithromycin-loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles: Preparation, Characterisation and Antibacterial Activity on Streptococcus pneumonia

Clarithromycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pneumonia. Infrared and differential scanning calorimetry studies ruled out any possibility of interaction between clarithromycin and excipients used. Formulations were prepared using ionic gelation method. From the results, it was found that percent entrapment efficiency of formulations ranged between 12.1 +/- 0.67 to 59.45 +/- 4.05 %, particle size between 155.31 +/- 23.36 to 360.05 +/- 26.06 nm with narrow size distributions except F1, F2, F3 and zeta potential between + 11.96 +/- 0.5 to + 26.83 +/- 0.4 mV. The in vitro drug release was found to be good with 75.1 +/- 1.01, 72.4 +/- 2.14, 68.1 +/- 1.96 and 65 +/- 1.52 % release for F4, F5, F6 and F7, respectively. From the results of kinetic studies, formulations were found to be more linear towards Higuchi model with R2 value ranging from 0.843 to 0.964 indicating that drug release mechanism by diffusion and n value of Korsemeyer-Peppas plot was found to be less 0.5 indicating Fickian diffusion. In vitro antibacterial activity was performed against Streptococcus pneumonia. Their minimum inhibition concentration values of F4 and F5 was 1/4th and 1/2nd of minimum inhibition concentration of clarithromycin. Results of in vitro antibacterial studies showed that, the clarithromycin nanoparticles have more antibacterial property than intact drug.