T. S. Anirudhan

Polymeric micelles are enjoying high resurgence of interest in biomedical field as promising candidates for the delivery of water-insoluble drugs. This property was used to design and synthesize fatty acid grafted polysaccharide-based copolymer micelles for the sustained release of Cefixime trihydrate (CFX): a third-generation cephalosporin. Chitosan (CS), a polysaccharide obtained by the alkaline deacetylation of chitin emerged as a useful drug delivery matrix because of its polycationic nature, biodegradability, biocompatibility and mucoadhesiveness. The drug release was monitored in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and simulated intestinal fluid (7.4). The in vitro release studies revealed 52% of drug release after 24 h of incubation and were enhanced to 83% after 72 h in simulated intestinal fluid condition. Antibacterial studies confirmed that the inherent properties of the drug were retained as well as enhanced by micelle formation. Thus, the synthesized copolymer micelle assures to be an excellent carrier vehicle for the sustained release of a model hydrophobic drug CFX. Smaller particle size ensures increased drug uptake and controlled release facilitates patient compliance.

The concept of novel drug delivery systems aims at achieving systematically improved therapeutic success for drugs including those that have limited use because of toxicity, uneven distribution pattern, stability and formulation of difficulties. The paper reveals the potential uses of novel hybrids of oleic acid-g-chitosan and montmorillonite (OA-g-CS/MMT) in controlled drug delivery applications. A calcium channel blocker is a chemical that disrupts the movement of calcium (Ca²⁺) through calcium channels. The calcium channel blocker used for the present investigation is diltiazem hydrochloride, which forms a class three antianginal drug, and a class IV antiarrhythmic. The drug-loaded novel composites have been prepared by solvent casting and freeze drying of the grafted polymer solution. Drug release was monitored by changing time, percentage of drug loading and pH of the medium. It was observed that the release was much more pronounced in the basic medium than in the acidic medium. The maximum release of drug from OA-g-CS/MMT in both gastric and intestinal fluids was observed within a time period of 12 h.