AccScience Publishing / ITPS / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ITPS026180019
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of chitosan–sodium tripolyphosphate nanoparticles encapsulating methanol Rosmarinus officinalis extract for controlled bioactive delivery

Calister E. Ugwu1* ,  Emmanuel Eze1
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1 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences, 026180019 https://doi.org/10.36922/ITPS026180019
Received: 27 April 2026 | Revised: 9 June 2026 | Accepted: 17 June 2026 | Published online: 10 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Rosmarinus officinalis exhibits significant antioxidant activity, though its poor bioavailability limits its practical use. In this study, R. officinalis was extracted with methanol and encapsulated in chitosan–sodium tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (RCSN) at ratios of 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 (RCSN1–RCSN4) to improve efficacy. Thus, the nanoencapsulated extracts were characterized and evaluated for encapsulation efficiency (EE%), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), particle-size analysis, in vitro bioactive extract release, and in vivo tests. Flavonoids and phenolics were the highest phytoconstituents. EE (%) ranged from 51% to 85%. FTIR spectrum and DSC depicted functional group consistency and decreased crystallinity, respectively. The particle size distribution indicates particle homogeneity and uniformity, with a polydispersity index of 0.434. The in vitro study demonstrated a controlled-release profile, with the highest release of 60% (RCSN2). The in vivo study of the RCSN showed higher antioxidant activity (10.814 IU/L) compared with the other extracts. The RCSN formulation exhibited sustained release and promising antioxidant potential.

Keywords
Antioxidant
Rosmarinus officinalis
Nanoparticles
Chitosan
Sodium tripolyphosphate
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences, Electronic ISSN: 2705-0823 Print ISSN: 2705-0734, Published by AccScience Publishing
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