Preparation of chitosan nanoparticles by ionotropic gelation technique: Effects of formulation parameters and in vitro characterization

•The effect of primary formulation parameters on the formation of CSNPs was studied.•The stability of nanoparticle suspensions at various pH and ionic strength was also analyzed.•The CSNPs were well dispersed spherical shape with good particle size distributions.•The successful loading of rifaximin was confirmed by FTIR and UV spectroscopy. Chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by ionotropic gelation technique are one of the forcefully studied nanosystems used for drug delivery. Though, a deficiency of inter-laboratory reproducibility and a poor physicochemical understanding of particle formation process have been decelerating their potential market applications. To report these shortcomings, the current work offerings the effect of primary formulation parameters on CSNPs formation by a single factor test. The stability of CSNPs at various pH and ionic strength was also analyzed. The mean particle size, zeta potential (ZP), and polydispersity index (PDI) of optimum CSNPs were 67.60±0.11 nm, +33.23±1.20 mV and 0.26±0.00, respectively. The SEM and TEM studies proved that the CSNPs were well dispersed spherical shape with good particle size distributions. The FTIR spectrum indicated that cross-linking was successfully carried out. To sum up, we found that by controlling the formulations parameters, it is possible to control in a reproducible manner the production and characteristics of CSNPs in the range of nanomaterial size. [Display omitted]