Electron beam radiation synthesis of hydrogel based on biodegradable starch/ poly(ethylene oxide) (ST/PEO) blend and its application in controlled release of parasitic worm's drugs

Abstract

Native starch/poly(ethylene oxide) (ST/PEO) copolymer hydrogels at different ratios were prepared by electron beam irradiation. The copolymer hydrogels were characterized in terms of gel fraction, swelling characters, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The copolymers were loaded with Albendazole (ABZ) and Mebendazole (MBZ) as parasitic worm's drugs. The release of these drugs was investigated in different pHs values. The gel percentage results showed that the presence of starch component in the blend decreased the gel percentage upon irradiation. In addition, the swelling properties indicate that the swelling properties were decreased with increasing the starch content at our irradiation doses (5–25 kGy). The TGA study indicates that the presence of starch decreased the thermal stability associated with weight loss up to 150 °C due to water removal (absorbed and/or from adjacent suitable groups) but the weight loss of PEO goes faster than in presence of starch. The drug release study indicates that the release of ABZ is higher than MBZ at pH 2 and pH 7 regardless of irradiated dose. In addition, the release of drugs occurs in pH 2 higher than pH 7.