In this study, quercetin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared and optimized to determine whether coating with chitosan would increase the cellular uptake of the nanoparticles and if the targeting ability of folic acid as a ligand can provide selective toxicity and enhanced uptake in model LnCap prostate cancer cells, which express high levels of the receptor prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), compared to PC-3 cells, that have relatively low PSMA expression. This evidence concerns the gene FOLH1 and prostate carcinoma.