Chitosan microspheres obtained by coacervation-phase separation, cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and grafted with poly(acrylic acid) were used as the basis of in vitro studies on the controlled release of eosin. Microspheres impregnated with an aqueous solution of the dye depicted a time-dependent release of eosin at pH values of 6.8 and 9.8, typical of the gastrointestinal tract. No eosin release could be observed at 1.2 pH.
Chitosan microspheres; controlled release; poly(acrylic acid); eosin
