Abstract
The transport of pharmaceuticals through silk fibroin membranes has been investigated. The membrane was prepared from Chinese cocoon. The permeability coefficients of five kinds of pharmaceutical, i.e. 5-fluorouracil (5FU), l-(+)-ascorbic acid (Vc), resorcinol (Res), sodium phenolsulfonate (SPS) and benzyltri-methylammonium chloride (BTAC), were measured in the pH range from 3.0 to 9.0. The silk fibroin membrane was an amphoteric ion-exchange membrane composed of both weak acidic and weak basic groups. Membrane-potential measurements revealed that the isoelectric point of the membrane was about pH 4.5. The positively charged pharmaceutical, BTAC, was excluded from the membrane below the isoelectric point. On the other hand, the negatively charged one, SPS, had a permeability that decreased as the pH increased. The neutral molecule, Res, however, penetrated through the membrane independently of pH value over the measured pH range. In the case of 5FU and Vc, the permeability coefficients decreased steeply above pH7 and pH4, respectively, because 5FU and Vc were negatively charged above pH7 (p K a=8.0) and pH 4 (p K a=4.25), respectively.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
