N,N,N-Trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles for controlled intranasal delivery of HBV surface antigen

► Size controllable formulation of N-trimethyl chitosan NPs is reported. ► Ionic gelation method is utilized to produce stable HBsAg loaded NPs. ► HBsAg loading efficiency and capacity is found to be higher than standard. ► The controlled release of HBsAg is noticed for 43days without any burst release. ► The released HBsAg is highly stable without any polymer destruction. Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) loaded N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles (N-TMC NPs) were formulated and studied for controlled intranasal delivery. The size and surface properties of the NPs can be tuned by modifying the concentration of N-TMC and found to be 66±13, 76±9nm for 0.25 and 0.5wt.% respectively. Loading of 380 and 760μl of HBsAg yielded 143±33, 259±47nm sized spherical N-TMC NPs with highest loading efficiency and capacity of 90–93%, and 96–97% respectively. In vitro drug release analysis ensured 93% cumulative release of HBsAg antigen over prolonged period (43days). In vivo immunological study was performed using 6–8weeks old female BALB mice and reveals adjuvants efficiency of NPs for antigen is highly stable and better than standard. Obtained results show that N-TMC NPs can be extensively used in controlled intra nasal delivery to treat various diseases including hepatitis B and allergic rhinitis.