Engineered Modified Galactose, Pectin and Chitosan- Metoprolol Conjugates to Target Cardiovascular System

Abstract

Targeted drug delivery to selective cell has emerged as one of the most significant areas of biomedical engineering research today. Therapeutic efficacy of a drug can be enhanced and optimized by localizing strictly it to a pathophysiologically relevant tissue system. The current study is aimed to develop the saccharide conjugates for targeted delivery of Metoprolol, a β-blocker. The selected saccharides viz. galactose (monosaccharide), pectin (polysaccharide), and chitosan (polysaccharide). The conjugates were engineered by grafting Metoprolol with the modified saccharides. The chemically modified saccharides conjugates were characterized by spectroscopic and thermal analysis. Drug release analysis and cellular uptake study was carried out using H9c2 cell lines. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay was carried out to investigate the cytotoxicity. The results demonstrate that Metoprolol-modified saccharide conjugates can efficiently deliver the drug to the target. It can be concluded that the development of saccharide-drug conjugates can be an effective approach for the targeting of cardiovascular drug.