Controlled drug dissolution by radiation-induced polymerization in the presence of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-methyl methacrylate copolymer or methacrylic acid-methyl acrylate copolymer

Fabrication and antibacterial evaluation of peppermint oil-loaded composite microcapsules by chitosan-decorated silica nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsion templating

Novel peppermint oil (PO)-loaded composite microcapsules (CM) with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC)/chitosan/silica shells were effectively fabricated by PO Pickering emulsion, which were stabilized with chitosan-decorated silica nanoparticles (CSN). The surface modification of chitosan could improve the hydrophobicity of silica nanoparticles and favor their adsorption at the oil-water interface of PO Pickering emulsions. The microcapsule composite shells were formed dependent on the electrostatic adsorption of HPMC and CSN, and further subjected to spray-drying. The peppermint oil-loaded composite microcapsules with 100% HPMC as wall material (PO-CM@100%HPMC) seemed to be optimum formulation based on the prolonged release, acceptable entrapment efficiency (89.1%) and drug loading (25.5%). The PO-CM@100%HPMC could remarkably prolong the stability of PO. Moreover, the PO-CM@100%HPMC had a long-term antimicrobial activity (85.4%) against S. aureus and E. coli even after storage for 60 days. Therefore, the Pickering emulsions based microcapsules seemed to be a promising strategy for antibacterial application for PO.

In vivo release of testosterone from vinyl polymer composites prepared by radiation-induced polymerization

Polymer-testosterone composites with long periods of controlled slow release were made by radiation-induced polymerization in a supercooled state at low temperature using glass-forming monomers. The in vitro release of testosterone from various vinyl polymer composites was found to follow a matrix-controlled process (Q-t1/2). The rate of drug delivery was accelerated with increasing water content of polymers. In experiments in vivo, the composites were implanted subcutaneously in the back of castrated rats during the 30 day test period. The in vivo release rate of testosterone was a little smaller than in vitro. This difference between two releases also increased with the increase of hydrophilicity of polymer. The physiological response in rats was investigated by measuring the weight of ventral prostate and serum testosterone concentration with testosterone-containing composites. The weight of ventral prostate increased linearly with increasing rate of drug release and the serum testosterone concentration could be correlated with the release and with the weight increase of ventral prostate. It was found from microscopic observation that the used polymer carriers had relatively good biocompatibility to cause little foreign body reaction.

Controlled slow release of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer from matrices prepared by radiation polymerization at low temperatures

The vinyl polymer-chemotherapeutic agent composites of various shapes (rod, tablet, membrane, microsphere, and powder) were prepared by radiation polymerization at low temperatures for the purpose of durable controlled slow release of drugs from implanted matrices. Bleomycin hydrochloric acid, mitomycin C, and 5-fluorouracil were tested as chemotherapeutic drugs entrapped in poly(diethylene glycol dimethacrylate) including a small quantity of a polymer such as poly(styrene), poly(vinyl formal), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(methyl methacrylate) on polyethylene glycol No. 600. The release rates from the matrices depended much on the kind of polymer, drug, and monomer concentration in polymerization and also on the shape of the composite. The release of these drugs from polymer matrices obeyed the diffusion-controlled release mechanism based on Higuchi's equation and was durable for more than thirty days. It was found that the release rate can be controlled easily by design of the shapes and structures of the polymer matrices.