Novel Drug-Loaded Gelatin Films and Their Sustained-Release Performance

A new particulate drug delivery system with gelatin matrix containing Ibuprofen as a model drug molecule was developed for an epidermis drug prolonged release. Gelatin films containing Ibuprofen-loaded poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL) microspheres have been developed on evaporation of organic solvent from an oil-in-water emulsion followed by cross-linking. The microspheres were characterized for particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and surface morphology. Water uptake, matrix erosion, and drug release profile of the microsphere-film system were investigated. The results indicated that drug-loaded microspheres introduced in this system successfully prolonged drug release time. This kind of microsphere-film system combined good adhesion, typical for gelatin films, with the sustained release performance of PCL microspheres. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 90B: 939-944, 2009