Synthesis and characterization of a cellulose‐based molecularly imprinted polymer in aqueous solution: The study of Furosemide slow release

Abstract

In the present study, a green and biodegradable molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based on cellulose is introduced for Furosemide drug for the first time. Firstly sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose. Then the prepared CMC underwent cross‐linking in the drug pre‐assembly solution using 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate as the comonomer and ammonium peroxydisulfate as the CMC activating agent. The pre‐assembly solution of the drug was also prepared using Furosemide as the template molecule and acrylamide as the functional monomer in aqueous medium. The obtained results from binding and selectivity studies indicated the successful preparation of the CMC‐based MIP (CMC‐MIP) in aqueous solution. Besides, structural, thermal, and morphological characterization of the prepared system was investigated. In the final step, the in vitro release study of Furosemide from the synthesized polymers was carried out in pH = 7.41 phosphate buffered saline solution at 37°C. According to the results, the CMC‐MIP had a larger drug loading capacity and a higher amount of drug release at its equilibrium state compared to the corresponding non‐imprinted polymer (CMC‐NIP). Moreover, the drug release profiles showed that the drug release rate of the CMC‐MIP is more controlled than that of the CMC‐NIP, especially at the early stages of release.