Synthesis of a Novel Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogel as Drug Delivery System

The present study is aimed at developing novel type of interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) hydrogels of chitosan with poly(acrylic acid) for the controlled release of amphetamine drug. IPN hydrogels were synthesized by simultaneous polymerization/crosslinking of acrylic acid monomer in the presence of chitosan and crosslinker. The swelling properties and in vitro drug release characteristics of IPN hydrogels have been investigated in detail. Variation in composition of the IPN was achieved by varying the concentration of crosslinker. In addition, these IPNs were characterized for their pH-sensitive behaviour by equilibrium swelling studies. It was observed that the release of amphetamine was much higher at pH 7.4 compared to pH 1.2, indicating that the release system is controllable and can be as a release system for intestine specific drug delivery.