A dissolution-diffusion model for the TAXUS drug-eluting stent with surface burst estimated from continuum...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacokinetics and Drug Delivery
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Computational Modeling

Background:

• Drug release from hydrophobic polymer matrices is complex, often exhibiting an initial burst release followed by sustained release.
• Understanding and predicting drug release profiles is crucial for optimizing therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance.
• Existing models may not fully capture the nuances of surface burst release and its dependence on formulation parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel two-layer dissolution-diffusion model for predicting drug release from hydrophobic polymer matrices.
• To incorporate a surface burst component estimated using continuum percolation models.
• To investigate the influence of drug loading on both surface burst and sustained release characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of a two-layer dissolution-diffusion model.
• Estimation of the surface burst component using continuum percolation models of overlapping Poisson distributed spheres.
• Experimental validation using paclitaxel release from a hydrophobic polymer matrix at varying drug loadings.

Main Results:

• The derived model adequately describes the release properties of paclitaxel.
• The model successfully captures the initial surface burst release phenomenon.
• The model demonstrates the dependence of both surface burst and sustained release on drug loading.

Conclusions:

• The developed two-layer dissolution-diffusion model provides a robust framework for predicting drug release from hydrophobic matrices.
• The incorporation of a percolation-based surface burst component enhances model accuracy.
• This model can aid in the rational design of drug delivery systems with tailored release profiles.