Investigating the release of a hydrophobic peptide from matrices of biodegradable polymers: An integrated method approach

The objectives of this work were: (1) to select suitable compositions of tyrosine-derived polycarbonates for controlled delivery of voclosporin, a potent drug candidate to treat ocular diseases, (2) to establish a structure–function relationship between key molecular characteristics of biodegradable polymer matrices and drug release kinetics, and (3) to identify factors contributing in the rate of drug release. For the first time, the experimental study of polymeric drug release was accompanied by a hierarchical sequence of three computational methods. First, suitable polymer compositions used in subsequent neural network modeling were determined by means of response surface methodology (RSM). Second, accurate artificial neural network (ANN) models were built to predict drug release profiles for fifteen polymers located outside the initial design space. Finally, thermodynamic properties and hydrogen-bonding patterns of model drug–polymer complexes were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) technique to elucidate a role of specific interactions in drug release mechanism. This research presents further development of methodological approaches to meet challenges in the design of polymeric drug delivery systems.