Drug absorption and release properties of crosslinked hydrogels based on diepoxy-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)s and aliphatic polyamines - a study on the effect of the gel molecular structure

► Crosslinked PEG hydrogels with well-defined chemical structures were prepared. ► Influence of network characteristics on drug absorption and release was studied. ► Diclofenac sodium and 5-fluorouracil were employed as model drugs. ► The most important network-drug interactions have been the hydrophobic ones. ► It affected both drug absorption and release.