Comparative Study of Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogels: Rheological and Texture Properties and Ibuprofen Release.

Veronika Mikušová,Daniel Krchňák,Dominika Žigrayová,Jarmila Ferková,Peter Mikuš

doi:10.3390/gels8030168

Abstract

Polysaccharides are attractive gelling agents in pharmacy due to their safety, biocompatibility, biodegradability, relatively easy way of preparation, and low price. Due to their variable physical-chemical properties, polysaccharides have potentialities to be used for designing new drug delivery systems for controlled drug release. In this comparative study, rheological and texture properties as well as the in vitro release of model drug ibuprofen (IBU) with 11 polysaccharide-based hydrogels were investigated. The in vitro release of IBU significantly differed between (i) neutral (hydroxy/alkylcelluloses), (ii) anionic (carboxyalkylcellulose and its sodium salt, tragacanth, carrageenan, xanthan gum), and (iii) cationic (chitosans) hydrogels due to different contribution of provided interactions and viscosity within the hydrogel groups. The drug release kinetics of each hydrogel system was evaluated for five kinetic models. Several combinations of cationic hydrogels with neutral or anionic ones were performed to illustrate possibilities of providing modified IBU release profiles. In this context, chitosan was presented as an effective modifier of diffusion profiles for negatively charged drugs formulated into combined polymeric systems, providing their prolonged release. The most appropriate hydrogel for the topical application (i.e., providing favorable rheological and texture properties along with the highest drug release) was selected from a studied series of polysaccharide-based hydrogels.

Highlights

The development of pharmaceutical formulations involves the use of various excipients in addition to the active ingredient
The results showed that sustainable, oxidized cellulose gels may provide more efficient drug delivery into and through the skin
Hydrogels were prepared from 11 different polysaccharide gelling substances (MC, HPMC, HEC, CMC, NaCMC, Tragacanth gum (TRG), CRG, xanthan gum (XTG), and three chitosan derived from shrimps (CSs) analogs including chitosan derived from crab (CSc), CSs, and CS HMW) differing by their polarities and charges to study and compare the influence of these parameters on their gel properties and IBU diffusion profiles

Summary

Introduction

The development of pharmaceutical formulations involves the use of various excipients in addition to the active ingredient. Some of the polysaccharide biopolymers frequently used as excipients in pharmaceutics are derived from plants (i.e., starch, cellulose, pectin, guar, tragacanth, and Arabic gum), algae (i.e., alginates, galactans, and carrageenans), animals (i.e., chitin, chitosan, glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid), and microorganisms (i.e., dextran, bacterial cellulose, gellan gum, xanthan gum) [3]. Their different monosaccharide composition, linkage types and patterns, the chain shape or length, and the molecular weight are responsible for their different physical-chemical properties, such as provided interactions (Van der Waals, H–bonds, Coulomb, steric, etc.), solubility, viscosity, gelling potential, and/ or surface and interfacial properties [4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion