Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10614779 | Materials Science and Engineering: C | 2011 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
The controlled release of drugs can be efficient if a suitable encapsulation procedure is developed, which requires biocompatible materials to hold and release the drug. In this study, a natural rubber latex (NRL) membrane is used to deliver metronidazole (MET), a powerful antiprotozoal agent. MET was found to be adsorbed on the NRL membrane, with little or no incorporation into the membrane bulk, according to energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy data indicated that MET retained its structural and spectroscopic properties upon encapsulation in the NRL membrane, with no molecular-level interaction that could alter the antibacterial activity of MET. More importantly, the release time of MET in a NRL membrane in vitro was increased from the typical 6-8Â h for oral tablets or injections to ca. 100Â h. The kinetics of the drug release could be fitted with a double exponential function, with two characteristic times of 3.6 and 29.9Â h. This is a demonstration that the induced angiogenesis known to be provided by NRL membranes can be combined with a controlled release of drugs, whose kinetics can be tailored by modifying experimental conditions of membrane fabrication for specific applications.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Biomaterials
Authors
Rondinelli D. Herculano, Alvaro A. Alencar de Queiroz, Angela Kinoshita, Osvaldo N. Jr., Carlos F.O. Graeff,