Rheological characterization of multi-component hydrogel based on carboxymethyl cellulose: insight into its encapsulation capacity and release kinetics towards ibuprofen

We report the synthesis of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel composed of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), linear polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), acrylic acid (AA) and alpha-cyclodextrin (CD) by free-radical solution polymerization in presence of hydrogen peroxide as the initiator and its characterization by FTIR, SEM and Rheology. The formulated hydrogel is thermoreversible, and its rheological parameters like gelation temperature, gelation time, elastic modulus and stress were studied as a function of CD concentrations. Swelling ability of the hydrogel decreases while as the drug encapsulation and loading capacities enhance with increase in CD wt%. The partitioning of ibuprofen between regions of different polarity within the hydrogel was studied by spectrofluorimetry. The ability of hydrogel with 0.04 wt% of CD to release ibuprofen spanned over the time period of 2 h and was modelled in light of various kinetic models.