FORMULATION, EVALUATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL GELLAN-CHITOSAN HYDROGEL BEADS AS CONTROLLED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM OF ANTI LIPIDEMIC DRUG

摘要

Innovative hydrogel beads of lovastatin-gellan alone and in combination with chitosan were prepared by ionotropic gelation method. The prepared natural polymer based beads were characterized for their physico-chemical characteristics like surface morphology through scanning electron microscopy, thermal behavior by differential scanning calorimetry. The hydrogel beads were also evaluated for encapsulation efficiency, dynamic swelling characteristics and in vitro drug release. The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency of the beads proportionally increased with increase in polymer concentration. However, the encapsulation efficiency of beads prepared using gellan-chitosan was considerably higher than that of beads prepared by gellan alone. The dynamic swelling of the beads increased with an increase in the amount of polymer. The release of drug from beads containing ionically cross-linked gellan was rapid. In contrast, the drug release from the beads containing ionically crosslinked gellan and polyelectrolyte complexation with chitosan was considerably prolonged. The DSC analysis indicates that the drug was uniformly dispersed in an amorphous state in the polymer matrix. The SEM photographs revealed that the beads are spherical in shape having a smooth surface with inward dent and shrinkage. The fibrous network and presence of minute pores were found on the surface of the beads.