Abstract
The present work focuses on the analysis of some semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs), based on phosphorylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chondroitin sulfat (CS), as sustained release carriers. The investigations were performed on poly(vinyl alcohol)/phosphoester - chondroitin sulfate semi-IPNs hydrogels (PVA/P-CS semi-IPNs) in various mixing ratios. Swelling and drug delivery studies were conducted in a phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4) that mimics the pH of the intestinal fluid, at 37 C. The hydrogels were evaluated for the release of metoprolol tartrate. The release profiles of the drug from PVA/P-CS semi-IPNs were strictly dependent on the CS content: an increase in the percent of released drug was observed with increasing the CS content.