Handbook of Alginate Based Nano-Structure for Drug Delivery

Alginates are the sodium or calcium salts of alginic acid. Alginic acid is extracted from certain species of brown seaweeds. Sodium alginate is watersoluble, while calcium alginate is water-insoluble. Apart from their sourcing from the renewable resources in the nature, they have the added advantages of biocompatibility, biodegradability and ability to form a gel, which makes them suitable candidates for various applications. Alginate nanomaterials have an increased number of atoms at their surface and possess a higher surface area to volume ratio than conventional micro scale alginate. The book is intended to serve as a reference book for students, teachers, researchers as well as professionals who are willing to acquire detailed understanding of the alginate nanomaterials for their potential biomedical application. To meet the above objectives this book covers following topics: Introduction to alginate nanocarrier ;Preparation of alginate based nanocarrier system ;Characterization of alginate nanoparticles ;Delivery of bioactives through alginate nanoparticles ;Therapeutic applications of alginate nanoparticles ; Delivery of bioactive through alginate nanocarrier system