Smart reticulated hydrogel of functionally decorated gellan copolymer for prolonged delivery of salbutamol sulphate to the gastro-luminal milieu.

ABSTRACT

A partially hydrolysed poly(acrylamide)-grafted-gellan (HPAmGG) copolymer was synthesised and characterised. Temperature- and concentration-dependent rheology and gel-like property of Gelrite gellan (GG) disappeared in HPAmGG copolymer. Smart HPAmGG hydrogel was fabricated with variation in aluminium chloride (AlCl(3)) strength and initial drug loading. The hydrogel reticulates seemed spherical and showed a maximum of ∼65% drug retention, but the assay was ∼22% lower for GG hydrogel. The drug release rate was inversely proportional to AlCl(3) strength in simulated intestinal milieu (pH 7.4), but approximated a proportional relationship with drug load. HPAmGG hydrogel liberated only 10-17% content in simulated gastric milieu (pH 1.2) in 2 h. The release data correlated well with the pH-dependent swelling of hydrogel and indicated the anomalous drug diffusion mechanism. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses confirmed the amorphous nature of the drug and its stability in fresh and aged hydrogel. Hence, smart HPAmGG hydrogel had the potential to prolong drug release mimicking the variable pH of the gastrointestinal tract.