Controlled release from hydrogel-based solid matrices. A model accounting for water up-take, swelling and erosion

Area of Science:

• Polymer science and engineering
• Materials science
• Pharmaceutical sciences

Background:

• Drug delivery systems based on polymer matrices are crucial in pharmaceuticals.
• Current manufacturing relies on time-consuming trial-and-error methods.
• Predictive modeling can significantly enhance the design and realization of these systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a mathematical model for predicting drug release kinetics from polymer matrices.
• To simulate key phenomena including water uptake, swelling, erosion, and drug release.
• To provide a computational tool for optimizing drug delivery system design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized transient mass balances with diffusion to describe system phenomena.
• Employed finite element methods to solve the resulting set of differential equations.
• Investigated two distinct scenarios: radial and overall solvent exposure for cylindrical matrices.

Main Results:

• A quantitative code was developed to accurately describe water uptake, swelling, erosion, and drug release.
• The model successfully simulated drug release from HPMC-based matrices under different conditions.
• Demonstrated the model's capability to predict release kinetics based on matrix geometry and material properties.

Conclusions:

• The developed mathematical model offers a reliable method for predicting drug release from polymer matrices.
• This modeling approach can optimize the design and manufacturing of drug delivery systems.
• The finite element method-based code provides a powerful tool for pharmaceutical research and development.