Sustained release of naltrexone from poly(n-isopropylacrylamide) microgels

The release of the opioid antagonist naltrexone from neutral poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAM) microgels and negatively charged PNIPAAM microgels containing acrylic acid groups (PNIPAAM-co-PAA) has been studied at various microgel and drug concentrations. The release curves were found to be well represented by the Weibull equation. The release rates were observed to be dependent on the microgel concentration. At most conditions, the release from the charged microgels was slower than for the neutral microgels. In addition, the charged microgels exhibited a release lag time, which was dependent on the microgel concentration. No significant lag time could be observed for the neutral microgels. Increasing the naltrexone concentration did not significantly affect the release rates from the neutral microgels, but the release from the charged microgels became faster. The microgels did not exhibit any significant cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells at the tested concentrations.