pH-sensitive polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) including poly(3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride/alginate (p(APTMACl)/ALG) was obtained by simple mixing method through electrostatic interactions. Following the synthesis of a cationic polymer p(APTMACl), the effects of reaction pH, ionic strength, polymer concentration and mixing ratio in PEC formation were investigated. UV/Vis, FTIR, AFM, DLS and zeta potential analyses confirmed the formation of PEC. The interaction between p(APTMACl) and ALG has been studied by different variable parameters. Polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles of p(APTMACl)/ALG with a particle size of 88 nm were formed by the simple mixing of p(APTMACl) (1 mg/mL) and ALG (1 mg/mL) at pH 7. Increasing the alginate concentration led to larger particle size and lower turbidity. The effect of pH, within 1-10 range, on the formation and stability of PEC was studied using UV/Vis spectroscopy. The absorption intensity increased as a function of surface charge of the polymeric chains at pH 7. In the presence of sodium chloride, the electrostatic interactions between two polymers were reduced due to the separation of surface charges by small ions. According to the cytotoxicity analysis for p(APTMACl)/ALG nanoparticles, no toxicity was found on MCF-7 cancer cells by MTT-based assay.
Keywords: Alginate; Electrostatic interaction; Polyelectrolyte; Polyelectrolyte complex; Simple mixing method.
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