Chitosan is a natural polymer obtained from exoskeletons of crustaceans and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a synthetic polymer which has excellent film forming ability along with non-toxic nature. The current work focuses on synthesizing a smart polymer by copolymerization of natural and synthetic polymers and exploring its applications in drug delivery. The copolymers were blended in different ratios and were synthesized using ammonium ceric nitrate as initiator and glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent which were converted to films by casting method. Amoxicillin, as a model drug was incorporated to the copolymerized films to study the in-vitro drug release. The films obtained were evaluated by varying the pH to study the pH responsive nature of films. Drug release studies were performed to obtain the release profile of drug; water uptake capacity of the copolymerized film were measured to determine the swelling behaviour of the films. The films were further characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to identify the structural and morphological changes along with thermal transitions. The results indicate that the synthesized copolymers are pH responsive in nature having great potential for application in controlled and targeted drug delivery.
BACKGROUND: Solid catalysts containing metals or metal oxides play a key role in the chemical process industries to produce valuable products and fuels and consequently are left as solid wastes after a certain period of use. Disposal of these spent catalysts requires compliance with stringent environmental regulations because of their hazardous nature and content of toxic chemicals. Therefore recovery of the metals by various methods has been explored. In the present study recovery of nickel from spent nickel catalysts using ultrasonication-assisted leaching has been investigated.
Chitosan is a modified form of Chitin. It is a modified carbohydrate polymer derived by hydrolyzing the aminoacetyl groups of chitin. Chitosan is a biodegradable natural polymer which is, biocompatible, non-toxic. It also shows anti-bacterial properties. This polysaccharide is available in different forms such as nanoparticles, solution, powder, flake, fiber, film, etc. Due to its wide range of physical forms and good reactivity with other compounds, chitosan can produce various blends. Nanoparticles of various natural biopolymers have emerged as potential carrier for drugs in oral controlled drug delivery. Nanostructured drug carriers allow the delivery of not only small-molecule drugs but also of nucleic acids and proteins. Chemical modification of nanoparticles of chitosan is useful for the association of bioactive molecules to polymer and controlling the drug release profile. In recent years focus on chitosan is shifted to its derivatives. This versatile material has broad applications in many different fields. Various physical forms of chitosan and its blends together with other derivatives such as composites and graft copolymers have been developed to overcome limitations of different polymeric materials such as poor mechanical properties and to improve its functionality towards specific applications. Nanoparticles of chitosan and it derivatives are extensively exploited in the field of oral drug delivery. The progress made in converting chitosan and its blends into nanoparticles forms as well as the preparation methods are studied. For preparation of these blends and nanoparticles of chitosan need to be dissolved in for reactions. We also studied its dissolution behavior with different acids. It shows quite interesting results.
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