Abstract
Stimuli responsive pH- and temperature-sensitive hydrogel drug delivery systems, as those based on N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) and itaconic acid (IA), have been attracting much of the attention of the scientific community nowadays, especially in the field of drug release. By adjusting comonomer composition, the matrix is enabled to protect the incorporated protein in the highly acidic environment of upper gastrointestinal tract and deliver it in the neutral or slightly basic region of the lower intestine. The protein/poly(NiPAAm-co-IA) hydrogels were synthetized by free radical crosslinking copolymerization and were characterized concerning their swelling capability, mechanical properties, and morphology. The pore structure and sizes up to 1.90 nm allowed good entrapment of lipase molecules. Model protein, lipase from Candida rugosa, was entrapped within hydrogels upon mild conditions that provided its protection from harmful environmental influences. The efficiency of the lipase entrapment reached 96.7%, and was dependent on the initial concentration of lipase solution. The swelling of the obtained hydrogels in simulated pH and temperature of gastrointestinal tract, the lipase entrapment efficiency, and its release profiles from hydrogels were investigated as well.
Highlights
Hydrogels have attracted particular attentions since they can undergo abrupt changes between their collapsed and swollen states in response to various environmental stimuli changes [1,2,3,4]
Stimuli responsive pH- and temperature-sensitive hydrogel drug delivery systems, as those based on N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) and itaconic acid (IA), have been attracting much of the attention of the scientific community nowadays, especially in the field of drug release
Hydrophilic hydrogels exhibit unique well-defined physicochemical properties and reproducible drug release profiles [5] that make them advantageous for biomedical applications including drug delivery [6]. The use of such hydrogels in drug delivery systems is important as they are often applied to protect the protein from hostile conditions such as low pH in the stomach [7] since the therapeutic application of hydrophilic macromolecules is associated with some serious problems, especially upon their oral administration [2]
Summary
Hydrogels have attracted particular attentions since they can undergo abrupt changes between their collapsed and swollen states in response to various environmental stimuli changes [1,2,3,4]. Hydrophilic hydrogels exhibit unique well-defined physicochemical properties and reproducible drug release profiles [5] that make them advantageous for biomedical applications including drug delivery [6]. The use of such hydrogels in drug delivery systems is important as they are often applied to protect the protein from hostile conditions such as low pH in the stomach [7] since the therapeutic application of hydrophilic macromolecules is associated with some serious problems, especially upon their oral administration [2]. Using the corresponding hydrogels, these problems could be overcome
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