Preparation and characterization of interpenetrating hydrogel for colon drug delivery

Abstract

This thesis work is based on preparation and characterization of Interpenetrating (IPN) hydrogels of poly (HEMA) with polysaccharides (xanthan gum or isabgol). IPN hydrogels were prepared by cross-linking the HEMA in the presence of varying concentration of xanthan gum or isabgol. The concentrations of xanthan gum used for this purpose were 0.1% (w/v), 0.3% (w/v),0.5% (w/v) and 0.7% (w/v) whereas the concentrations of isabgol selected were 1% (w/v), 2% (w/v), 3% (w/v) and 4% (w/v). The HEMA and the polysaccharides either xanthan gum or isabgol were mixed in the proportion of 30:70 (w/w) before being croslinked using APS and TEMED. The IPN hydrogels were characterized by swelling tests at Ph 1.2, pH 7 and Ph 9.Physical properties were assessed by XRD and FTIR. Suitability of its application as colon drug delivery system (CDDS) was assessed by incorporating curcumin for in-vitro drug release kinetics assay in the simulated condition of gastrointestinal system. The IPN hydrogels were found to swell maximal at pH 7 and the rate of drug release was found to be highest at pH 6.8 indicating its potential application as CDDS.