Controlled release of drugs from CD polymers substituted with ionic groups

Various disinfecting drugs (ethacridine lactate, methylene blue, gentian violet, brilliant green, fuchsin acid, cetylpyridinium chloride) were incorporated into CD bead polymers substituted with carboxymetbyl groups and a retarded release rate was measured. These polymers were successfully used as sustained release wound powders as well as in chewing gum formulations.     

Protein release from biodegradable dextran nanogels

The use of drugs with intracellular targets will strongly depend on the availability of delivery systems that are able to deliver them to specific intracellular sites at an optimal rate. Biodegradable dextran nanogels were prepared using liposomes as a nanoscaled reactor.1,2 These nanogels were obtained by UV polymerization of dextran hydroxyethylmethacrylate (dex-HEMA) containing 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SOPC) liposomes. We found the encapsulation efficiency of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme in the dextran nanogels to be about 50%. Specifically, the release of BSA and lysozyme from the dextran nanogels was clearly governed by the cross-link density of the tiny gels. Depending on the size of the encapsulated protein, the cross-link density of the dextran network, and the presence or absence of a lipid coating, proteins were released from the nanogels over days to weeks. Interestingly, when sufficiently diluted, dextran nanogels did not aggregate in human serum, which is of major importance when one considers intravenous administration of such nanogels. Also, reconstitution of lyophilized dextran nanogels seemed perfectly possible, which is also an important finding since dextran nanogels will have to be stored in dry form. Because dextran nanogels can be taken up by cells, they are promising materials for controlled intracellular release of proteins.     

Controlled drug release from gels using lipophilic interactions of charged substances with surfactants and polymers

The aim of this article was to study interactions between different gel forming polymers and amphiphilic drugs and surfactants with the intention of finding interactions that can be used for designing controlled release formulations. The release from gels was measured by detecting the UV-absorbance of drugs released from 6 mL gel into 250 mL release medium in a dissolution bath. The rheological behavior of gels was characterized using a controlled rate rheometer. The diffusion coefficient of alprenolol was 6.3 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s when formulated in a 1% poly(acrylic acid) gel (PAA) and 2.8 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s in a lipophilically modified gel (LM-PAA). The addition of alprenolol to 1% LM-PAA increased the elasticity, G', from 123 to 182 Pa. Increased gel strength was also observed for a number of other amphiphilic drugs. The addition of 1% Brij 58 to LM-PAA decreased the diffusion coefficient of alprenolol to 2.3 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s. It was possible to sustain the release of charged drugs with high log P by adding surfactant micelles. However, the effect was small and only useful for drugs with adequate lipophilicity. The interaction between LM-PAA and amphiphilic drugs could be seen using rheology and was used for designing controlled release gel formulations. In this way surfactants can be avoided, thus decreasing toxicity problems.     

Biomedical applications of biodegradable polymers

Utilization of polymers as biomaterials has greatly impacted the advancement of modern medicine. Specifically, polymeric biomaterials that are biodegradable provide the significant advantage of being able to be broken down and removed after they have served their function. Applications are wide ranging with degradable polymers being used clinically as surgical sutures and implants. To fit functional demand, materials with desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties must be selected. Fortunately, a wide range of natural and synthetic degradable polymers has been investigated for biomedical applications with novel materials constantly being developed to meet new challenges. This review summarizes the most recent advances in the field over the past 4 years, specifically highlighting new and interesting discoveries in tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Sustained release of guaifenesin and ipriflavone from biodegradable coatings

Biodegradable plastics are an interesting class of drug carriers for controlled release, as they can decompose to nontoxic, readily bioresorbable products and are advantageous over conventional biomaterials because they do not require surgical retrieval from the body after completion of treatment. In this work, films of poly(d,l-lactic acid) (d,l-PLA) were deposited by the solvent casting technique, onto the surfaces of stainless steel plates and their biodegradation was studied after immersion in buffer solutions. The release of two model drugs, i.e. guaifenesin and ipriflavone, from the above d,l-PLA systems loaded with these compounds at various concentrations, was also studied.The experimental results showed that for low drug concentrations, the release of guaifenesin is controlled by the biodegradation rate of PLA, whereas for high concentrations the burst effect becomes the dominant release mechanism. The rate of release is faster at low pH values probably due to an acceleration of PLA biodegradation, whereas there are no chemical interactions between drug and polymer, that could essentially influence the release rate of the drug or the biodegradation of the polymer. On the other hand, high guaifenesin concentrations produce increased porosity in the PLA matrix and seem to accelerate its biodegradation and further the drug release rate. Finally, the release of ipriflavone in a mixture of 2-propanol/water is clearly a two stage process and, again, the burst effect seems to control the delivery process at high drug concentration.In conclusion, the present study shows that similar results to those obtained with d,l-PLA tablets loaded with model drugs can be obtained with thin coatings of the same systems. This might be of interest for transfer of the existing knowledge to the design of biomedical implants, treated with coatings of d,l-PLA containing reactive compounds.     

Novel biodegradable polymers as gene carriers

This study investigated two new biodegradable polymers as gene controlled-released coatings for gene transfer. Poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PELA) and poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(lactic acid)-co-poly(glycolic acid) random copolymer (PELGA) were synthesized and used as microspheres matrices with encapsulated plasmid pCH110. The plasmid loading efficiency, cytotoxicity, transfection efficiency and in vitro degradation and release profiles of microsphere complexes were evaluated in details. The biodegradable polymers showed high DNA loading efficiency and low cytotoxicity as gene controlled-released coatings, and the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) contents of polymer matrices influenced the diameter, loading efficiency and transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA within the microspheres. The average diameters of PELA and PELGA microspheres were between 0.5 and 1.5 microm, and the plasmid loading efficiency was 62 and 73% for PELA and PELGA microspheres with 10% PEG content, respectively. In vitro testing showed a gradual release profile of DNA from polymeric matrices. The polymers/DNA microspheres had high transfection efficiency and early gene expression and maintenance of gene expression level for up to 96 h, although transfection efficiency were slightly lower than that of liposome in the initial 24 h. The biodegradable polymeric materials possess potential superiority as gene carriers.     

Biocompatible or biodegradable hyperbranched polymers: from self-assembly to cytomimetic applications

Self-assembly of amphiphilic hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) is a newly emerging research area and has attracted increasing attention due to the great advantages in biomedical applications. This tutorial review focuses on the self-assembly of biocompatible or biodegradable amphiphilic HBPs and their cytomimetic applications, and specialities or advantages therein owing to the hyperbranched structure have also been summarized. As shown here, various supramolecular structures including micelles, vesicles, tubes, fibers and films have been prepared through the primary self-assembly processes. The primary self-assemblies can be further assembled into more complex structures through hierachical self-assembly processes. Besides, the hyperbranched polymer vesicles have demonstrated great potential to be used as model membranes to mimic cellular behaviors, such as fusion, fission and cell aggregation. Other biomedical applications of HBPs as well as their self-assemblies are also briefly summarized.     

Controlled release of Ibuprofen from dealuminated faujasites

Four dealuminated faujasite samples have been employed as matrices for Ibuprofen adsorption and in vitro drug delivery with the aim of adapting the pore size to the size of the drug molecule and to study the influence of Al content upon the drug delivery. Ca. 15 wt% of Ibuprofen is adsorbed in the zeolite cavities. FTIR shows that the zeolite hydroxyl groups interact with Ibuprofen and, in addition, carboxylate species bonded to extraframework Al species are detected in the most dealuminated samples. Two stages are observed in the Ibuprofen delivery. In the first hours, the release is governed by a diffusion process, showing a similar delivery rate independently of the Al content. However, after this stage, the Al content is determinant in drug delivery, being the release faster when the framework Si/Al ratio increases up to 22, and then decreases for Si/Al=62. The behaviour of the highly dealuminated material is probably due to the predominance of Van der Waals interaction between the drug and the siliceous zeolite framework.     

Controlled drug release from bifunctionalized mesoporous silica

Serial of trimethylsilyl-carboxyl bifunctionalized SBA-15 (TMS/COOH/SBA-15) have been studied as carriers for controlled release of drug famotidine (Famo). To load Famo with large capacity, SBA-15 with high content of carboxyl groups was successfully synthesized by one-pot synthesis under the assistance of KCl. The mesostructure of carboxyl functionalized SBA-15 (COOH/SBA-15) could still be kept even though the content of carboxyl groups was up to 57.2%. Increasing carboxyl content could effectively enhance the loading capacity of Famo. Compared with pure SBA-15, into which Famo could be hardly adsorbed, the largest drug loading capacity of COOH/SBA-15 could achieve 396.9 mg/g. The release of Famo from mesoporous silica was studied in simulated intestine fluid (SIF, pH=7.4). For COOH/SBA-15, the release rate of Famo decreased with narrowing pore size. After grafting TMS groups on the surface of COOH/SBA-15 with hexamethyldisilazane, the release of Famo was greatly delayed with the increasing content of TMS groups.     

Control of release kinetics of macromolecules from polymers

Internal and external means for controlling the release rates of large molecules, such as proteins, from ethylene—vinyl acetate copolymer matrices are presented. Internal approaches include alteration of the polymer—drug design, such as changing drug loading and particle size, coating the matrix, or altering matrix geometry. Kinetic and microstructural analyses are discussed. Applications of these polymeric systems, for instance, in delivery of insulin for diabetes, improved immunization procedures, and in developing bioassays for informational macromolecules are considered. In addition, a new approach for externally controlling release rates of drugs using magnetism has been developed. Until now, drug delivery systems were capable of delivering drugs at either constant or decreasing rates. We sought a system that permitted delivery of increased doses on demand, and achieved this by incorporating magnetic particles and drugs into polymeric matrices. Drug release rates can then be increased by an appropriate application of an external magnetic field. Over a five-day period, the magnetic field was applied ten times and drug release rates increased by up to 100% each time. Initial results indicate that this system does not cause tissue damage.     

Special topic on bio-based and biodegradable polymers

正In the past decades,bio-based and biodegradable polymers have attracted wide and increasing interests because of the shortage of fossil resource,concerns on environmental pollution,demands for some medical fields as well as support of government policies.Depending on the sustainable source of organic carbon,biodegradability and biocompatibility,these polymers have shown promising applications in industry,agriculture,biomedicine and daily life.To impart excellent physical properties and functions to them,scientists and engineers have exploited versatile methods to tune     

Degradation kinetics and rheology of biodegradable polymers

Aliphatic polyesters are readily degradable polymers, hydrolysis being the dominant mechanism of degradation. On one side, this makes them extremely interesting for industrial applications in which degradability is required. On the other side, they present considerable processing problems due to their sensitivity to process and stocking conditions. In this work, the degradation of two aliphatic polyesters was studied in the molten state by analysing the rheological properties with the aim of defining the significance of previous thermal history and of residence time at a given temperature. Rheological measurements were adopted as a mean of analysis for degradation kinetics because rheological properties are strongly dependent on molecular weight. In particular, the change in complex viscosity (at constant frequency) as a function of time at different temperatures was measured. The experimental results show that a significant reduction of viscosity takes place during the isothermal tests for all the materials analyzed. This reduction was ascribed to the hydrolysis reaction. Indeed, a dried sample showed only a marginal viscosity reduction. After this initial decrease, an increase in viscosity (more pronounced at higher temperatures) was found for all the materials and at all the temperatures investigated. This phenomenon was ascribed to the inverse reaction (esterification) taking place in the absence of water. The dried sample showed, in fact, a much faster increase in viscosity with respect to the undried one. The degradation kinetics was modeled considering both forward and reverse reactions. The relative rate of the two reactions depends on the moisture content, and thus the water evaporation from the sample was kept into account in the rate equations.     

Controlled release from directly compressible theophylline buccal tablets

The aim of the current study was the development of theophylline buccal adhesive tablets using direct compression. Buccal adhesive formulations were developed using a water soluble resin with various combinations of mucoadhesive polymers. The prepared theophylline tablets were evaluated for tensile strength, swelling capacity and ex vivo mucoadhesion performance. Ex vivo mucoadhesion was assessed using porcine gingival tissue and the peak detachment forces were found to be suitable for a buccal adhesive tablet with a maximum of 1.5 N approximately. The effect of formulation composition on the release pattern was also investigated. Most formulations showed theophylline controlled release profiles depended on the grade and polymer ratio. The release mechanisms were found to fit Peppas’ kinetic model over a period of 5 h. In general the majority of the developed formulations presented suitable adhesion and controlled drug release.     

Controlled release of amoxicillin from bacterial cellulose membranes

Bacterial cellulose (BC), a natural polymer with unique physical and mechanical properties, has several applications in the biomedical field, including drug loading and controlled drug delivery. For this study, a Box-Behnken experimental design was employed as a statistical tool to optimize the release of a model drug, amoxicillin, from BC membranes. Independent variables studied were the concentration of the drug (X₁), the concentration of glycerol (X₂) and the concentration of a permeation enhancer (X₃). From the variables studied, drug concentration had the highest effect on drug release. Among the other independent variables, th linear and quadratic X₂ terms, the linear X₃ term and the interaction term X₂X₃ were found to affect the release of amoxicillin from bacterial cellulose membranes.

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The controlled release of a drug from biodegradable chitosan gel beads

Chitosan (CS) forms a gel in solutions with a pH above 12, and the gelation occurs at pH of about 9 in 10% amino acid solutions. In this paper, we investigated the enzymatic degradation and the drug release profile of this novel CS gel beads. The degradability of the CS gel beads was affected by the CS properties, e.g. the degree of deacetylation. The release of prednisolone (PS), as a model drug, from the CS gel beads was sustained significantly compared with the gel prepared with NaOH only. However, the release was not able to be sustained by the increment of NaOH concentration in the solution employed for the preparation of CS gel beads. We also investigated the control of drug release from CS gel beads by application of a complex formed between chondroitin sulfate (Cho) and CS. The release of PS from the CS gel beads treated with Cho was prolonged, and the release pattern was not affected by the treatment time. The time to 50% drug release was about 5 min with PS powder, about 200 min in CS gel beads with 10% glycine (Gly) (pH 9.0), and about 330 min in the CS gel beads with 10% Gly (pH 9.0) treated with Cho. Thus CS gel beads appear promising as a vehicle for sustained drug delivery, and the degradation of CS gel beads may be controlled by the degree of deacetylation of CS.     

Active polycondensation: from pep tide chemistry to amino acid based biodegradable polymers

New polycondensation (PC) methods of polymer synthesis using non-traditional active derivative of dicarboxylic acids are reviewed. The new PC methods are named by general name “Active Polycondensation” (APC) to tell them from traditional low-temperature PC. The most of these methods are based on well known in peptide chemistry approaches to the activation of carboxylic groups. In the present paper the syntheses of heterochain polymers of basic classes - polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, polyureas, and polybenzazoles by interaction of various active diesters with di- and polyfunctional nucleophiles are discussed in brief. Special attention is given to the synthesis of non-conventional heterochain macromolecular systems, in particular poly(ester amide)s (PEAs), composed of naturally occurring α-amino acids and other non-toxic building blocks like fatty diacids and diols - synthetic analogues of naturally occurring amino acid based polymers - peptides and proteins. The synthesis and properties, biodegradation, and some practical applications of PEAs are discussed in brief.