Fabrication and Characterization of Gelatin/Chitosan Microspheres for Drug Release

Gelatin/chitosan (Gel/Cs) microspheres were fabricated through an emulsification-solvent evaporation technique using saturated glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking reagent. The influences of the concentration of the emulsifier, stirring speed, and water/oil ratio on particle size and surface morphology were investigated. The experimental results indicated that the particle size of the microspheres decreased with increasing concentration of the emulsifier; however, the microsphere size did not change when the concentration of the emulsifier exceeded 0.016 g.mL(-1). The particle diameter of the microspheres decreased with increasing stirring speed and increased with increasing water/oil ratio. The concentration of an acetone/water solution had an obvious effect on the morphologies of the Gel/Cs microspheres during the course of dehydration; the surface of the microspheres became smooth when dehydrated by an acetone solution with a volume ratio of 3:1.