Self-Assembling Nano- and Microparticles of Chitosan L- and D-Aspartate: Preparation, Structure, and Biological Activity

Abstract

The paper considers the formative processes of chiral nano- and microparticles in solutions of D-aminoglucan chitosan (CS) in L- and D-aspartic acid (AspA) by means of the counterionic condensation of components and the stabilization of particles by a polysiloxane shell. The effect of the L- and D-enantiomers of AspA on the structure, size, shape, and zeta potential of nano(micro)particles was studied using IR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and electron and optical microscopy. It was found that chiral particles of CS·L-AspA and CS·D-AspA are non-toxic, hemo- and biocompatible, and exhibit high growth-stimulating activity in the test plants, with the best effect observed for homochiral D-glucan–D-AspA particles.

Keywords

• chitosan
• aspartic acid
• L- and D-enantiomers
• nano(micro)particles
• chirality
• biological activity