الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) are biocompatible and non-toxic drug delivery system that can be easily modified. In the current study, the in vitro effect of CNPs preparation against Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) replication has been investigated. CNPs with an average size of 110 nm and positive charge of +27.8 mV were prepared via chemical ionotropic method and were characterized using electron microscopy and Zeta-sizer analysis. CNPs were rough spheres, aggregated or dispersed in the microscopic field. Various concentrations of CNPs were tested to assess the cytotoxic effect (IC50) of CNPs in HepG2 cell cultures using SRB assay through time intervals. HepG2 were cancer cells used as a suitable in vitro model for HCV culture. Results showed that chitosan nano-spheres have no apparent cytotoxic effect on HepG2 or WISH (normal) cells at concentration of 100 μg/ mL (w/v) after 48 h post-treatment. It has been recorded with electron microscopy 24 hours post treatment that the nano-spheres were in more than one site in the cell separated or aggregated in clusters. Most of the CNPs were agglomerated in clusters on the cell membrane and nuclear envelope. Some CNPs were separated inside cytoplasm or outside the cell. HepG2 cell was engulfing the chitosan nano-spheres besides the cell membrane. Cellular evaluation of CNPs by flowcytometry showed that HepG2 cells treated with CNPs revealed progressive accumulation at G0-G1 in 69.02% and at S phase in 19.93% of the cell cycle, correlating with decreased number of cells in the G2-M phases with 11.04%. There were no significant differences in the results obtained by mock-treated HepG2. These data confirm the safety of nano-chitosan. In conclusion, nano-chitosan might serve as a drug delivery system in a HCV culture model.