The use of chitosan gels as matrices for electrically-modulated drug delivery

This study evaluated and characterized the use of chitosan gels as matrices for electrically modulated drug delivery. Chitosan gels were prepared by acetylation of chitosan and subsequently hydrated to facilitate further studies. After determining the degree of deacetylation, hydrated and unhydrated gel formulations were characterized for their microviscosity and compression strength. In the electrification studies, gel mass variation, surface pH changes, and later, release-time profiles for neutral (hydrocortisone), anionic (benzoic acid), and cationic (lidocaine hydrochloride) drug molecules from hydrated chitosan gels were monitored in response to different milliamperages of current as a function of time. Hydrated gels had very similar microviscosity while exhibiting differences in the gel strength, results which are not inconsistent as they pertain to different aspects of the gel. The cumulative gel mass loss and rate of gel mass loss increased with an increase in the milliamperage (mA) of the applied current. Gel syneresis - principally involving electroosmosis and gel collapse - was pronounced, particularly at higher mAs and for chitosan gels with lower degrees of acetylation. The surface pH values of the gels were lower at the anode and higher at the cathode, in accordance with reports in the literature. The release of the model drugs from the gel matrix was in the order benzoic acid>hydrocortisone>lidocaine, which is consistent with the electrokinetically competing forces that are involved in these gels. Adequate characterization of electrical effects on formulation matrices, such as chitosan gels, is critical to the development of effective and reliable electrically modulated drug delivery systems. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.