Chemotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Chemotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects, drugs.

An examination of the rheological and mucoadhesive properties of poly(acrylic acid) organogels designed as platforms for local drug delivery to the oral cavity.

Jones DS, Muldoon BC, Woolfson AD, Sanderson FD

School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK. d.jones@qub.ac.uk

This study examined the rheological/mucoadhesive properties of poly(acrylic acid) PAA organogels as platforms for drug delivery to the oral cavity. Organogels were prepared using PAA (3%, 5%, 10% w/w) dissolved in ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), 1,3-propylene glycol (1,3-PG), 1,5-propanediol (1,5-PD), polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), or glycerol. All organogels exhibited pseudoplastic flow. The increase in storage (G') and loss (G'') moduli of organogels as a function of frequency was minimal, G'' was greater than G'' (at all frequencies), and the loss tangent <1, indicative of gel behavior. Organogels prepared using EG, PG, and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) exhibited similar flow/viscoelastic properties. Enhanced rheological structuring was associated with organogels prepared using glycerol (in particular) and PEG 400 due to their interaction with adjacent carboxylic acid groups on each chain and on adjacent chains. All organogels (with the exception of 1,5-PD) exhibited greater network structure than aqueous PAA gels. Organogel mucoadhesion increased with polymer concentration. Greatest mucoadhesion was associated with glycerol-based formulations, whereas aqueous PAA gels exhibited the lowest mucoadhesion. The enhanced network structure and the excellent mucoadhesive properties of these organogels, both of which may be engineered through choice of polymer concentration/solvent type, may be clinically useful for the delivery of drugs to the oral cavity.

Published 3 September 2007 in J Pharm Sci, 96(10): 2632-46.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Chemotherapy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.