Preparation of PEG-grafted chitosan/streptokinase nanoparticles to improve biological half-life and reduce immunogenicity of the enzyme

Streptokinase, as a thrombolytic drug, is widely used in treatment of cardiovascular disorders and deep vein thrombosis. Streptokinase is immunogenic due to its prokaryotic source, having short biological half-life (i.e. 15 to 30 min) that is not enough for an efficient therapy. In this study, nanoparticles (NPs) of chitosan/streptokinase and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-grafted chitosan/streptokinase were prepared by polyelectrolyte complex method. Particle size of chitosan and PEG-grafted chitosan NPs were 154 ± 42 and 211 ± 47 nm, respectively. Results showed that using PEG in preparation of nanoparticles leads to ~24% decrease in encapsulation efficiency. Encapsulation of streptokinase in the NPs also resulted in a slight reduction in enzymatic activity. However, in vivo findings indicated that response of the immune system was delayed for 20 days and blood circulation time of the enzyme increased up to 120 min by using PEG. Biological half-life of the drug also increased up to twice in PEG-grafted chitosan. In conclusion, PEG-grafted chitosan NPs could be an alternative for delivery of streptokinase to reduce its clinical limitations.