Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide grafted maize starch based microbeads: application in pH responsive drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Materials Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Development of novel polymeric materials for drug delivery systems is crucial.
• pH-responsive drug delivery aims for targeted release at specific physiological sites.
• Maize starch and polyacrylamide are common biopolymers with potential for modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize hydrolysed polyacrylamide grafted maize starch (HPam-g-MS).
• To develop pH-responsive microbeads using HPam-g-MS for aceclofenac delivery.
• To evaluate the in vitro performance of these microbeads for site-specific drug release.

Main Methods:

• Graft copolymerization of polyacrylamide onto maize starch using microwave irradiation.
• Synthesis of aceclofenac-loaded microbeads via ionic gelation.
• Characterization using FTIR spectroscopy and evaluation of in vitro drug release at pH 1.2 and pH 7.4.

Main Results:

• HPam-g-MS was successfully synthesized and confirmed via FTIR.
• Aceclofenac-loaded microbeads exhibited pH-dependent drug release, with higher release at pH 7.4 (alkaline) than pH 1.2 (acidic).
• A correlation was found between the percentage grafting and microbead performance.

Conclusions:

• HPam-g-MS is a viable material for creating pH-responsive microbeads.
• The developed microbeads demonstrate potential for site-specific drug delivery, particularly in alkaline environments.
• Further research can optimize HPam-g-MS microbeads for enhanced drug delivery applications.