As the pore morphology influences drug release, the purpose is to study pore characteristics by comparing bead performances. Casein/gelatin beads have been prepared by the emulsification extraction method, cross-linked with D,L-glyceraldehyde in acetone:water mixture 3:1 (v/v) and loaded with sodium fluorescein as a model drug. The beads with higher casein percentage have a higher matrix porosity, a wider average pore diameter and a higher cross-linking degree. The higher casein percentage causes a lower drug release rate. The kinetic analysis shows that the drug release occurs by diffusion and that the diffusion coefficient is affected by the casein percentage and the cross-linking degree. It can be hypothesized that the pore and channel morphology (tortuosity), due to the casein percentage in the matrix and the cross-linking treatment, can be evaluated by kinetic analysis of the release data.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Protein immobilization in crosslinked alginate microparticles.

Oral administration of peptide and protein drugs requires their protection from the acidic and enzymatic degradation in the gastro-intestinal environment and their targeting to the absorption zone. For this purpose, an alginate microsystem, as a carrier of bovine serum albumin (BSA), as a model protein, was developed using a spray-drying technique. A hardening process with Ca2+ and chitosan (CS) provided a system with resistance to the gastro-intestinal barriers and of appropriate size for targeting to the Peyer's patches. The present work aims to evaluate the effects of the ratio of sodium alginate (Na-A) and BSA as well as the pH of the crosslinking medium on the microsystem properties. Microparticle morphological and dimensional characteristics did not change significantly with the formulation variables. BSA loading at a pH value less than the protein isoelectric point (pI) was higher than that at a pH similar to the pI owing to an electrostatic interaction between the charged protein and the polyanionic alginate. The maximum encapsulation efficiency was obtained at the highest Na-A/BSA ratio. Protein release in a simulated gastro-intestinal fluid was not affected by the preparative variables, but was controlled by the pH-dependent nature of the polymer material. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) demonstrated the stability of the protein to both the preparative conditions and the gastro-intestinal pH values.

Alginates↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Papaverine hydrochloride release from ethyl cellulose-walled microcapsules.

The mechanism of papaverine hydrochloride release from ethyl cellulose-walled microcapsules in both simulated gastric and intestinal fluid is discussed. The microcapsules were prepared by coacervation using different core: wall ratios. The rupture of the thin-walled microcapsules after release in simulated gastric fluid was shown and attributed to the internal osmotic pressure, supporting a mechanism for drug dissolution. The internal osmotic pressure produced only a few small holes in the thin-walled microcapsules after release in simulated intestinal fluid. No rupture of the thick-walled microcapsules after release in either medium was shown. Therefore these release data fitted diffusion-type kinetics. It is suggested that the internal osmotic pressure developed after penetration of the medium is affected by the ratio between the core dissolution rate and the drug diffusion rate through the wall.

Capsules↗