Ultrasound Sensitive Smart Polyvinyl Alcohol/Melamine/Tannic Acid Hydrogel

Abstract

Problems such as hydrophilic properties of hydrogels, limited encapsulation of hydrophilic drugs, and unintended release amounts damage normal tissues and lead to overdose or repeated doses. This study investigates the development and characterization of drug carrier hydrogel formulations that can protect normal tissues. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel was synthesized by adding melamine (M) and tannic acid (TA) at different weight ratios to limit the hydrophilic properties of the hydrogel. In the analysis of the synthesized hydrogel, the efficiency of drug encapsulation increased from 60 to 90% as the TA content increased. The degree of swelling decreased from 73 to 63%. The contact angle increased from 10.15° to 62.27°, and the surface energy decreased. Drug release analysis was performed both in the presence of ultrasound (US) in a 40 kHz ultrasonic bath at 22 °C and without US at room temperature (22 °C). The drug release of Dox-loaded hydrogels was carried out in deionized water. Hydrogels release about two times more drug under ultrasound. After TA was added to the hydrogel, the drug release decreased by about 1.5 times. Successful results have been obtained with US, which is used to increase the amount of drug in the targeted area in a short time, accelerate the effect of the drug, and get faster results. The findings obtained as a result of all these characterizations and supported by FTIR provide promising contributions for controlled drug delivery systems. © 2023, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals.