The design of flexible ciprofloxacin-loaded PLGA implants using a reversed phase separation/coacervation method

The purpose of this research is to design and characterize flexible PLGA-based implants for the controlled release of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride for up to 6 weeks in vitro. This research uses a reversed phase separation/coacervation method to fabricate flexible PLA and PLGA: excipient implants with dichloromethane/mineral oil as solvent/non-solvent. Physical characterization was performed using thermal and mechanical analyses. Drug loading and release studies were performed with ciprofloxacin HCl as the model drug. Release kinetics was modeled to elucidate possible mechanisms of drug release. Four polymer-excipient combinations with glass transition temperatures less than 20°C and representing a wide range of Young's moduli were shown to entrap up to 8% of ciprofloxacin HCl that could be released at a controlled rate for 65 days in vitro. The release rate could consistently fit a ternary Gaussian pattern with an R(2)>0.99. It was postulated that these release patterns could be related to ciprofloxacin that was loosely or poorly bound (burst release), trapped within the polymer matrix, or encapsulated by the polymer. These studies show that flexible implants can be fabricated from PLGA-based polymers for the controlled release of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride for up to 6 weeks in vitro.