Indian Journal of Advances in Chemical Science Volume: 6, Issue 3: , August 2018

ISSN No.: 2320-0898 (Print); 2320-0928 (Electronic)

DOI: 10.22607/IJACS.2018.603006

Research Article

Chitosan-based Interpenetrating Polymeric Network Microgels for Colon-Specific Drug Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil

K. S. V. Krishna Rao*, P. Rama Subba Reddy, K. Madhusudana Rao, Chang-Sik Ha*

ABSTRACT

pH-responsive interpenetrating polymeric network microgels (IPNMGs) were developed from a combination of a natural carbohydrate polymer, chitosan (CS), with newly synthesized poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(2-hydroxy-4-N-methylamidobenzoic acid) (PVA-g-HMA). The IPNMGs were developed using a water-in-oil emulsion method with glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), an anticancer drug, was encapsulated successfully into these IPNMGs through an in situ method. The grafting and grafting yield for PVA-g-HMA were found to be 103% and 91.63%, respectively. The formation of IPNMGs and the structural interactions of pristine IPNMGs and 5-FU-loaded IPNMGs were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed the IPNMGs to be spherical and 20 μm in size with a smooth surface. The pH-responsive nature of the IPNMGs was examined from equilibrium swelling studies under different pH conditions. The in vitro release behavior of the IPNMGs was examined in pH 1.2 and 7.4 buffer media. The in vitro release results of the pH-responsive IPNMGs showed that they can be applied to the oral controlled release of 5-FU. The release kinetics of 5-FU was analyzed using the Peppas equation to understand the nature of the drug release mechanism.

Key words: Chitosan, Poly(vinyl alcohol), Graft copolymer, Interpenetrating polymeric network, Anticancer drug, Drug release

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