Controlled release of cephradine by biopolymers based target specific crosslinked hydrogels

The novel silane crosslinked (TEOS) hydrogels based on eco-friendly biodegradable chitosan/guargum were prepared by blending with PEG to develop pH sensitive hydrogels (CGP) and achieved its hydrophilicity and target specificity for controlled release of drug. The crosslinker amount was varied to analyze its effect on the hydrogel properties and were characterized using FTIR, SEM, TGA, swelling studies (water, buffer and ionic solution) and in-vitro release of cephradine (CED). FTIR confirmed the presence of characteristic peaks and crosslinking between the components while SEM images showed the formation of clear micro- and macro-pores. The swelling behavior in water showed that compared to the controlled hydrogel, the crosslinked hydrogels revealed more swelling but a decrease in swelling with further increase in the amount of crosslinker was observed. The hydrogels showed low swelling at basic and neutral pH while maximum swelling was observed at acidic pH. This pH response made these hydrogels an ideal candidate for injectable controlled release. The CED was loaded on hydrogels and its release mechanism was studied in PBS, SGF and SIF which revealed that out of all hydrogels (CGP100, CGP150, CGP200 and CGP250), CGP100 has shown CED release of 85% in 130 min in PBS and 82.4% in SIF.