Abstract: The present invention relates to a water soluble chitosan nanoparticle (WSC-NP) for delivering an anticancer agent and a preparing method thereof, more precisely, a water soluble chitosan nanoparticle for delivering an anticancer agent which has function of targeting on a wanted area by introducing a functional group in the location of highly reactive amine group and becomes an excellent gene carrier with the use of water soluble chitosan since the water soluble chitosan itself can combined with DNA having a negative electric charge(?) owing to the very strong positive electric charge(+) of its amine group, and a preparing method thereof. Therefore, a water-soluble chitosan nanoparticle for delivering an anticancer agent of the present invention can effectively envelope paclitaxel by introducing hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups in the position of highly reactive amine group of the water-soluble chitosan.

Abstract: Disclosed are low-molecular weight, water-soluble chitosan nanoparticles with folic acid conjugated thereto as a target ligand and a preparation method thereof. The nanoparticles can be simply prepared since the strong reactivity of the chitosan allows folic acid to be readily introduced thereinto. Also, the folic acid-conjugated, low-molecular weight, water-soluble chitosan nanoparticles can be useful as gene carriers because they are of low or zero-toxicity, have sizes suitable for use as gene carriers, can readily form complexes with DNA, allow high gene expression rates, and are excellent in targeting tumor cells which are rich in folic acid receptors.