Cyclodextrin-Polymethylsilsesquioxane Combined System as a Perspective Iron Delivery System for Oral Administration

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Anemia is a global health issue, with oral iron treatments causing significant gastrointestinal side effects.
• Current iron therapies face challenges due to poor patient compliance and adverse effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an oral iron delivery system using polymethylsilsesquioxane hydrogels.
• To enhance iron loading efficiency and control release kinetics for improved anemia treatment.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of iron compounds (ferric chloride and ferrous D-gluconate) into guest-host complexes with 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD).
• Complex formation and hydrogel incorporation investigated using Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), EDX mapping, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).
• Evaluation of iron release profiles in simulated gastric media.

Main Results:

• An optimal system was identified using ferrous D-gluconate and HPCD in a 1:1 molar ratio, embedded in a polymethylsilsesquioxane hydrogel with silicate crosslinks.
• The developed hydrogel system demonstrated a significant reduction in the rate of iron release in gastric conditions.
• Mathematical modeling indicated that iron release followed the Higuchi mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Polymethylsilsesquioxane hydrogels effectively encapsulate iron compounds complexed with HPCD for oral delivery.
• The optimized hydrogel formulation offers a promising approach to mitigate gastrointestinal side effects associated with oral iron therapy.
• Sustained iron release kinetics suggest improved therapeutic potential for anemia management.