Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S. A. S. Nagar,Mohali, Punjab-160 062, India, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Polytechnic University, Via Ranieri 67, IT-60100 Ancona, Italy,Green Biotechnology Research Group, The Special Division for Human Life Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology, 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka-563-8577, Japan, and Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Natural Products,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 91120, IsraelReceived March 2, 2004

Chitosan chemistry and pharmaceutical perspectives.

Cyclodextrin Drug Carrier Systems.

Alginates are established among the most versatile biopolymers, used in a wide range of applications. The conventional use of alginate as an excipient in drug products generally depends on the thickening, gel-forming, and stabilizing properties. A need for prolonged and better control of drug administration has increased the demand for tailor-made polymers. Hydrocolloids like alginate can play a significant role in the design of a controlled-release product. At low pH hydration of alginic acid leads to the formation of a high-viscosity "acid gel." Alginate is also easily gelled in the presence of a divalent cation as the calcium ion. Dried sodium alginate beads reswell, creating a diffusion barrier decreasing the migration of small molecules (e.g., drugs). The ability of alginate to form two types of gel dependent on pH, i.e., an acid gel and an ionotropic gel, gives the polymer unique properties compared to neutral macromolecules. The molecule can be tailor-made for a number of applications. So far more than 200 different alginate grades and a number of alginate salts are manufactured. The potential use of the various qualities as pharmaceutical excipients has not been evaluated fully, but alginate is likely to make an important contribution in the development of polymeric delivery systems. This natural polymer is adopted by Ph.Eur. It can be obtained in an ultrapure form suitable for implants. This review discusses the present use and future possibilities of alginate as a tool in drug formulation.

Alginate in drug delivery systems.

Influence of physicochemical properties on dissolution of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract.

Structure and interactions in chitosan hydrogels formed by complexation or aggregation for biomedical applications

The natural polymers alginate and chitosan were used for the preparation of controlled release nicardipine HCl gel microparticles. The effect of the mannuronic/guluronic acid content and the alginate viscosity on the prolonged action of the microparticles, which were prepared with different types of alginates, were investigated. The mean particle sizes and the swelling ratios of the microparticles were also determined. The in vitro release studies were carried out with a flow-through cell apparatus in different media (pH 1.2, 2.5, 4.5, 7 and 7.5 buffer solutions). The release of nicardipine was extended with the alginate gel microparticles prepared with guluronic acid rich alginate. After the determination of the most appropriate alginate type, the effect of alginate-chitosan complex formation was studied on the release pattern of drug incorporated. It was observed that the alginate-chitosan complex formation reduced the erosion of the alginate-chitosan matrix at pH 7-7.5. The release of drug from the chitosan-alginate gel microparticles took place by both diffusion through the swollen matrix and relaxation of the polymer at pH 1.2-4.5.

Calcium alginate microparticles for oral administration: I: effect of sodium alginate type on drug release and drug entrapment efficiency

The release rate of nicardipine HCl from various alginate microparticles was investigated. Manugel A7B618 which has a high guluronic acid content of 70% and a low polymerization degree of 60-400 was used as alginate. A 2(3) factorial design was utilized for the preparation of the alginate microparticles. The effect of drug:polymer weight ratio, CaCl2 concentration and curing time on parameters such as the time for 50% of the drug to be released (t50%) and the drug entrapment efficiency were evaluated with analysis of variance. The mean particle sizes and the swelling ratios of the microparticles were determined. The in vitro release studies were carried out with a flow-through cell apparatus at different media (pH 1.2, 2.5, 4.5, 7, 7.5 buffer solutions). Drug:polymer weight ratio and the concentration of the crosslinking agent were the influential factors on the release of NC from the alginate microparticles. The release of nicardipine was extended with alginate microparticles prepared in a ratio of 1:1 (drug:polymer weight ratio). The release of drug from alginate microparticles took place by both diffusion through the swollen matrix and relaxation of the polymer at pH: 1.2-4.5. However, the release was due to diffusion and erosion mechanisms at pH 7-7.5.

Calcium alginate microparticles for oral administration: II. Effect of formulation factors on drug release and drug entrapment efficiency.

Vaginal delivery is an important route of drug administration for both local and systemic diseases. The vaginal route has some advantages due to its large surface area, rich blood supply, avoidance of the first-pass effect, relatively high permeability to many drugs and self-insertion. The traditional commercial preparations, such as creams, foams, gels, irrigations and tablets, are known to reside in the vaginal cavity for a relatively short period of time owing to the self-cleaning action of the vaginal tract, and often require multiple daily doses to ensure the desired therapeutic effect. The vaginal route appears to be highly appropriate for bioadhesive drug delivery systems in order to retain drugs for treating largely local conditions, or for use in contraception. In particular, protection against sexually-transmitted diseases is critical. To prolong the residence time in the vaginal cavity, bioadhesive therapeutic systems have been developed in the form of semi-solid and solid dosage forms. The most commonly used mucoadhesive polymers that are capable of forming hydrogels are synthetic polyacrylates, polycarbophil, chitosan, cellulose derivatives (hydroxyethycellulose, hydroxy-propylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose), hyaluronic acid derivatives, pectin, tragacanth, carrageenan and sodium alginate. The present article is a comprehensive review of the patents related to mucoadhesive vaginal drug delivery systems.

Füsun Acartürk

Papers

Calcium alginate microparticles for oral administration: I: effect of sodium alginate type on drug release and drug entrapment efficiency

Calcium alginate microparticles for oral administration: II. Effect of formulation factors on drug release and drug entrapment efficiency.

Mucoadhesive Vaginal Drug Delivery Systems

Formulation and investigation of nicardipine HCl-alginate gel beads with factorial design-based studies.

Development of long-acting bioadhesive vaginal gels of oxybutynin: formulation, in vitro and in vivo evaluations.