Novel Supports Based on Polysaccharides for Sustained‐Release of Isosorbide Dinitrate

Novel supports based on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (EPC), and microparticles based on acetylphthalylcellulose (APC), for sustained‐release of isosorbide dinitrate (Isoket, Ik), were obtained. The drug has been included into CMC hydrogels through diffusion from ethanol‐water solution. Studies about the ethanol–water ratio influence on including the drug have shown an increased amount of included drug at higher content of water in the alcohol‐water mixture. Isoket–ACP microparticles have been obtained by drug and polymer co‐precipitation from emulsified aqueous solution.

The kinetics for “in vitro” release of Ik from polymeric materials, in simulated conditions for intestinal tract medium, where the drug is preferentially absorbed, has been analyzed. The experimental data have shown a “zero” order kinetic for drug release, which is characteristic for systems controlled by diffusion.     

A review on environmental applications of chitosan biopolymeric hydrogel based composites

Abstract

Chitosan (CS) is being used for fabrication of low cost, biocompatible materials that have applicability in fields such as agriculture, biotechnology and environment. In Environmental research, one of the applications of CS based hydrogel composites are in form of biosorbents for eviction of toxic dyes, heavy metals and nutrients from effluent streams. The adsorption potential could be attributed to the reactive functional groups existing on the surface of CS. CS based materials can also be employed for oil/water separation, as a fertilizer carrier, in Microbial fuel cells as Electrolyte membrane and as Electrochemical/Biosensors for detecting and analyzing few environmental pollutants such as pesticides. The earlier review papers on the subject matter have concentrated mainly on dye and heavy metal removal without giving details of its utility in the field of electrochemistry and agriculture. Though the biopolymer holds numerous applications, it has not been discussed extensively. Thus, an attempt has been made to elucidate the current and potential applications of CS hydrogels and composites based on the efficacy it has shown in areas of removal of organic and inorganic contaminants such as dyes, heavy metals and nutrients, in agriculture, oil and water separation, Microbial Fuel cells and Electrochemical/Biosensors.

• HIGHLIGHTS

• Chitosan based hydrogel composites could be extensively used in the field of Environment Technology.

• The composites act as effective biosorbents for dye, heavy metal and nutrient removal because of the functional groups present on Chitosan’s surface.

• These can also be effectively used for oil/water separation and also as a fertilizer/pesticide carrier for their slow release.

• Chitosan based electrolytes can become a promising ecofriendly substitute for synthetic polymers in fuel cells.

• These biopolymers have also been researched upon as electrochemical/biosensors in recent years for detecting environmental pollutants.

     

Large‐scale Experimental Study on the Effects of Flooring Materials on Combustion Behavior of Thermoplastics

The effects of flooring materials on the combustion behavior of thermoplastics is investigated. Based on the ISO 9705 fire test setup, an experimental rig was designed. Full‐scale experiments of PP combustion were carried out using five flooring boards, namely gypsum, steel, wood, ceramic tile and PVC. The experimental results indicate that the flooring boards play an important role in the heat release rates of typical thermoplastics combustion. Specifically, the time for the sharp increase of heat release rate is generally later for the flooring boards with larger thermal conductivity, except for the case of PVC. Preliminary analyses suggest that the reason for the exception of PVC is the expansion and carbonization of PVC at high temperature. In addition, experimental results also show that the corresponding peak heat release rate of thermoplastics combustion would be generally smaller for the flooring board with a larger thermal mass, except for the case of gypsum. The primary cause for the exception of gypsum may be the heat absorption by the crystal water released from the gypsum during the burning of hot pool oil.     

Novel Ibuprofen‐based Polyurethane: A New Approach for Drug Delivery

Facile synthesis of novel ibuprofen bearing polyurethane 1 has been achieved for the first time and found to display the release pattern of ibuprofen based on the easy cleavage of ester linkages. Thorough characterizations (FT‐IR, UV‐Vis, NMR, and elemental analysis) were performed to ascertain the structure of polyurethane 1.     

The Effect of Volume Reorganization of Amorphous Poly(ethylene Terephthaiate) on Thermal Properties

When poly(ethylene terephthalate) was quenched from above T_g and then heated, it exhibited a step increase in thickness in the glass transition region at every rate tested. When the polymer was cooled more slowly than it was heated, a higher T_g and a slightly larger step increase in thickness were observed as the cooling rate was reduced. These experimental results appear to be adequately interpreted on the basis of the normal structural changes that occur in a glass as its thermal history is varied. Two observations, however, were not easily included in this view. First, the polymer, on cooling from above T_g, exhibited an abnormally high expansion coefficient over much of the range of temperature in which it exists as a fluid. Second, the polymer exhibited a step increase in thickness when it was heated at the same rate at which it had previously been cooled.     

Dynamic Release of Propranolol HCl from Cationic Ion–Exchanger–Loaded Calcium Alginate Beads

The dynamic release of drug propranolol HCl from the propranolol HCl–resin complex (PRC) loaded calcium alginate beads has been studied in the buffer media of pH 1.2 at the physiological temperature 37°C. The PRC encapsulated beads demonstrated nearly 58.04% release while naked PRC particles released 98.00% drug in 24 h in the gastric fluid. The amount of drug released was found to increase with and decrease in the amount of sodium alginate in the beads. Similarly, with the increase in the amount of entrapped PRC particles within the beads, the quantity of drug released was also observed to increase. The degree of crosslinking of beads also affected the release kinetics. Interestingly, the release from naked PRC particles followed ‘first‐order’ kinetics while PRC particles, entrapped in calcium–alginate beads, exhibited ‘diffusion controlled’ release behavior as indicated by liner nature of fractional release vs. √t plot.     

Comparison of direct mass spectrometry methods for the on‐line analysis of volatile compounds in foods

For the on‐line monitoring of flavour compound release, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and proton transfer reaction (PTR) combined to mass spectrometry (MS) are the most often used ionization technologies. APCI‐MS was questioned for the quantification of volatiles in complex mixtures, but direct comparisons of APCI and PTR techniques applied on the same samples remain scarce. The aim of this work was to compare the potentialities of both techniques for the study of in vitro and in vivo flavour release. Aroma release from flavoured aqueous solutions (in vitro measurements in Teflon bags and glass vials) or flavoured candies (in vivo measurements on six panellists) was studied using APCI‐ and PTR‐MS. Very similar results were obtained with both techniques. Their sensitivities, expressed as limit of detection of 2,5‐dimethylpyrazine, were found equivalent at 12 ng/l air. Analyses of Teflon bag headspace revealed a poor repeatability and important ionization competitions with both APCI‐ and PTR‐MS, particularly between an ester and a secondary alcohol. These phenomena were attributed to dependency on moisture content, gas/liquid volume ratio, proton affinities and product ion distribution, together with inherent drawbacks of Teflon bags (adsorption, condensation of water and polar molecules). Concerning the analyses of vial headspace and in vivo analyses, similar results were obtained with both techniques, revealing no competition phenomena. This study highlighted the equivalent performances of APCI‐MS and PTR‐MS for in vitro and in vivo flavour release investigations and provided useful data on the problematic use of sample bags for headspace analyses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mathematical modeling and sustained release property of a 5-fluorouracil imprinted vehicle

In the present research, a type of imprinted hydrogels, in which 5-fluorouracil is complexed non-covalently to the monomers and cross-linked into the hydrogel matrix, is synthesized in order to evaluate the possibility of their applications in sustaining the release of 5-fluorouracil due to the drug’s heightened interactions with the imprinted binding sites. Because of the hydrophility, hydrogels can absorb large amounts of water. As a result, drug release mechanisms are different from hydrophobic polymers. Mathematical model has been established to predict the drug release from the hydrogel matrix as a function of time. The drug release mechanism when immersed in release medium is discussed based on mathematical analysis. Swelling studies are performed and the capability of the hydrogels to reload 5-fluorouracil in aqueous solutions is evaluated. In vitro release studies after reloading are conducted. Mathematical analysis suggest that drug release kinetics from the hydrogels fit Fickian mechanism, further evaluation of the fitness for different hydrogel types reveal that the conformation of binding sites can play a very important role in deciding the kind of drug release mechanism. Experiments reveal that all hydrogels show swelling property. The imprinted hydrogels bind much more 5-fluorouracil than non-imprinted ones, and they sustain 5-fluorouracil release better than non-imprinted hydrogels. This research indicates that the imprinted hydrogels would be a potential promising device for drug delivery.     

Surfactant-Free Multiple Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Combining Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Nanoparticles

A series of W/O/W or O/W/O emulsion stabilized solely by two different types of solid nanoparticles were prepared by a two-step method. We explored the option of particular emulsifiers for the multiple Pickering emulsions, and a variety of nanoparticles (silica, iron oxide, and clay) only differing in their wettability was used. The primary W/O emulsion was obtained by the hydrophobic nanoparticles, and then the hydrophilic nanoparticles were used as emulsifier in the secondary emulsification to prepare the W/O/W emulsion. In a similar way, the primary O/W emulsion of the O/W/O emulsion was stabilized by the hydrophilic nanoparticles, while the secondary emulsification to prepare the O/W/O emulsion was effected with the hydrophobic nanoparticles. The resultant multiple Pickering emulsion was stable to coalescence for more than 3 months, except the W/O/W emulsions of which the secondary emulsion stabilized by clay nanoparticles became a simple O/W emulsion in a day after preparation. Moreover, the temperature and pH sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (P(NIPAm-co-MAA)) microgels were introduced as an emulsifier for the secondary emulsification to obtain the stimulus-responsive multiple W/O/W emulsion. Such microgel-stabilized multiple emulsions could realize the efficient controlled release of water-soluble dye, Rhodamine B (RB) on demand in a multiple-emulsion delivery system.