Sodium

Engineering

Polymer chemistry

Epichlorohydrin

Materials science

Chromatography

Controlled release

Chitosan

Biochemistry

Sodium alginate

Chemical engineering

Swelling

Immunology

Drug delivery

Polymer

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Diclofenac

Self-healing hydrogels

Diclofenac Sodium

Inflammation

Pharmacology

Medicine

Chemistry

Crystallinity

Genipin

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Inflammation is a key challenge in the treatment of chronic diseases. Spurred by topical advancement in polymer chemistry and drug delivery, hydrogels that release a drug in temporal, spatial and dosage controlled fashion have been trendy. This research focused on the fabrication of hydrogels with controlled drug release properties to control inflammation. Chitosan and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were used as base polymers and crosslinked with epichlorohydrin to form hydrogel films by solution casting technique. Prepared hydrogels were analyzed by swelling analysis in deionized water, buffer and electrolyte solutions and gel fraction. Functional groups confirmation and development of new covalent and hydrogen bonds, thermal stability (28.49%) and crystallinity were evaluated by FTIR, TGA and WAXRD, respectively. Rheological properties including gel strength and yield stress, elasticity (2309 MPa), porosity (75%) and hydrophilicity (73°) of prepared hydrogels were also evaluated. In vitro studies confirmed that prepared hydrogels have good biodegradability, excellent antimicrobial property and admirable cytotoxicity. Drug release profile (87.56% in 130 min) along with the drug encapsulation efficiency (84%) of prepared hydrogels was also studied. These results paved the path towards the development of hydrogels that can release the drugs with desired temporal patterns.

Inflammation targeted chitosan-based hydrogel for controlled release of diclofenac sodium