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This work deals with preparation of doxorubicin loaded chitin nanogels and were characterized by SEM, DLS and FTIR for cancer drug delivery. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies of 130–160 nm sized doxorubicin loaded chitin nanogels were studied using MTT assay on L929, PC3, MCF-7, A549 and HEPG2 confirmed that relatively higher toxicity on cancer cells comparing to normal L929 cells. The internalization studies showed a significant uptake of doxorubicin loaded chitin nanogels in all the tested cell lines. All the above results indicated that doxorubicin loaded chitin nanogels can be used for prostate, breast, lung and liver cancer.

Nanogels are nanosized hydrogel particles formed by physical or chemical cross-linked polymer networks. The advantageous properties of nanogels related to the ability of retaining considerable amount of water, the biocompatibility of the polymers used, the ability to encapsulate and protect a large quantity of payload drugs within the nanogel matrix, the high stability in aqueous media, their stimuli responsively behavior potential, and the versatility in release drugs in a controlled manner make them very attractive for use in the area of drug delivery. The materials used for the preparation of nanogels ranged from natural polymers like ovalbumin, pullulan, hyaluronic acid, methacrylated chondroitin sulfate and chitosan, to synthetic polymers like poly (N-isopropylacrylamide), poly (Nisopropylacrylamide- co-acrylic acid) and poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (methacrylic acid). The porous nanogels have been finding application as anti-cancer drug and imaging agent reservoirs. Smart nanogels responding to external stimuli such as temperature, pH etc can be designed for diverse therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The nanogels have also been surface functionalized with specific ligands aiding in targeted drug delivery. This review focus on stimuli-sensitive, multi-responsive, magnetic and targeted nanogels providing a brief insight on the application of nanogels in cancer drug delivery and imaging in detail.

In this work we developed biodegradable chitin nanogels (CNGs) of size 65 nm by controlled regeneration method and characterized. The CNGs showed higher swelling and degradation in acidic pH. The in vitro cytocompatibility was analyzed on an array of cell lines and cell uptake studies were done by conjugating CNGs with the rhodamine-123 dye (rhodamine-123–CNGs), which showed retention of nanogels inside the cells. Our preliminary studies reveal that these nanogels could be useful for the delivery of drugs, growth factors for drug delivery and tissue engineering.