Exploring pullulan-poly(vinyl alcohol) interpenetrating network microspheres as controlled release drug delivery...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with limited treatment options.
• Pirfenidone is the only US FDA-approved drug for IPF, necessitating effective drug delivery systems.
• Developing advanced drug delivery platforms is crucial for enhancing therapeutic efficacy and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) microspheres for controlled pirfenidone delivery.
• To evaluate the potential of a natural biopolymer (pullulan) combined with a synthetic polymer (PVA) for this application.
• To investigate the thermal stability, non-cytotoxicity, and drug release kinetics of the developed microspheres.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of IPN microspheres using a glutaraldehyde-assisted water-in-oil emulsion crosslinking method.
• Characterization techniques included FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, solid-state 13C NMR, and FESEM.
• Thermal kinetic analysis employed Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose models; MTT assay assessed non-cytotoxicity and cell viability.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized and characterized IPN microspheres composed of pullulan and PVA.
• Thermal kinetic studies provided insights into the activation energy of the material.
• MTT assay confirmed the non-cytotoxicity and good cell viability of the microspheres.
• Drug release kinetic models indicated potential for controlled pirfenidone release.

Conclusions:

• The developed pullulan-PVA IPN microspheres are a promising candidate for the controlled delivery of pirfenidone.
• This formulation could offer an improved therapeutic approach for patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• Further research into in vivo performance is warranted to validate clinical applicability.