Medical-grade polyvinyl chloride was modified with sodium ampicillin in a concentration range from 0 to 5 wt % by solvent casting technique using cyclohexanone and N,N-dimethylformamide. The obtained polymeric systems were characterized by optical microscopy, tensile test, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, in vitro antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria was determined by an agar diffusion test. Antibiotic release experiments were performed in distilled water and physiological saline solution, which were monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy. The results showed a crucial role of the solvent on the morphology, antibacterial activity, and releasing characteristic of the ampicillin. Furthermore, a mathematical model was applied to data obtained from release study, to characterize the release kinetics of the ampicillin from the polyvinyl chloride-antibiotic systems.
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