Abstract

The aim of the present study was to fabricate nanocomposite clay beads based on sodium alginate/poly (vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl
acetate)/montmorillonite (MMT) for controlled release of glycopyrrolate (GLY) drug by simple ionotropic gelation technique.
The nanocomposite clay beads were obtained. In the present work, we examine the beneficial effects of MMT mineral as
drug carrier for GLY because clay minerals play a key role in drug delivery applications. The developed microbeads were
characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray
diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectra, and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of MMT content on drug intercalation
kinetics, drug encapsulation efficiency and the drug release of the nanocomposite beads were investigated. Drug release kinetics
of intercalated GLY has been investigated in both simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4) and simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) at 37°C
and also various kinetic models (zero, first, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer–Peppas) have been used to find out the drug release profile.
The drug release studies suggested that controlled release of GLY from nanocomposite beads has been observed during in vitro
release experiments.