pH-Dependent intestine-targeted delivery potency of the O-carboxymethyl chitosan – gum Arabic coacervates

Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-loaded microcapsules were prepared at pH 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 through O-carboxymethyl (O-CMC) – gum Arabic (GA) coacervation followed by genipin crosslinking to explore the effects of coacervation acidity on the intestine-targeted delivery potency of resultant microcapsules. Confocal laser scanning microscope observation revealed that microcapsules with the multilayer structure were successfully prepared. As the coacervation pH rose from 3.0 to 6.0, the amount of O-CMC deposited on the microcapsule surface and the particle size increased accordingly. Swelling and BSA release results indicated that coacervation at higher pH conferred greater stability against simulated gastric fluid and better intestine-targeted delivery potency to the microcapsules. Circular dichroism analysis demonstrated that the structural integrity of entrapped BSA was well maintained during microencapsulation and incubation in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Hence, genipin-crosslinked O-CMC – GA coacervates could be used to deliver nutraceuticals to the intestine and its delivery performance could be tailored by varying the coacervation pH.