[Influence of temperature and concentration of a surfactant on pharmaceutical availability]

This study aimed to analyze the influence of surfactant concentration and temperature on drug liberation from hydrogels and their flow properties. The surfactant benzethonium chloride (BZCl) was used in concentrations of 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 % (w/w), while the drug chlorhexidine dihydrochloride (CHX) was used in a concentration of 0.1 % (w/w). Chitosan (CHIT) in 2.5 % (w/w) concentration was used as a gel-creating substance. The drug and surfactant liberation were evaluated within the temperature range of 25-40 °C. The largest amounts of both of them were liberated at the temperature of 40 °C. Through the concentration changes it was possible to obtain statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between the liberation of CHX and BZCl. An analysis of the flow properties revealed that the character of the plastic system was not influenced by the changing concentration of the surfactant. The experimental results led to the conclusion that the optimum composition of the gel was as follows: 2.5 % (w/w) CHIT + 0.1 % (w/w) CHX + 0.01 % (w/w) BZCl.