Preparation and in-vitro characterization of 5-aminosalicylic acid loaded hydrogels for colon specific delivery

Abstract

The aim of the current investigation was to prepare and characterize the novel pH-sensitive hydrogels of pluronic F127 and sodium polystyrene sulfonate for the controlled delivery of 5-aminosalicylic acid to colon. Pluronic F127 and sodium polystyrene sulfonate were crosslinked with acrylic acid by N,N′-Methylene bisacrylamide. Various studies including porosity, drug loading, swelling, and drug release were performed for the fabricated hydrogels. Greater swelling and drug release were observed at high pH 7.4 as compared to pH 4.6 and 1.2, thus depicted pH-sensitive nature of developed hydrogel. Characterizations such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were performed in order to evaluate the crosslinking, thermal stability, crystallinity, and surface morphology of the fabricated hydrogel, respectively. The toxicity of the developed drug carrier system was investigated by the HET-CAM test and revealed no toxic effects on the chorioallantoic membrane of the chicken egg. Conclusively, the fabricated hydrogel could be applied as a potential alternate to conventional dosage forms for controlled release of 5-aminosalicylic acid for prolonged period of time.