Hydrogels are attractive materials for drug delivery applications due to
biocompatible, porous structure with the possibility to load and deliver
drugs in a controllable manner. In this paper, poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA)
hydrogels are described, which are synthesized by free-radical
polymerization, using poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) as a
crosslinker. Influence of the PEGDA content on hydrogel properties was
investigated and compared to commonly used crosslinker -
N,N?-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA). The increasing concentration of
crosslinkers led to a higher degree of crosslinking, which was demonstrated
by a higher degree of conversion, lower swelling capacity, and improved
thermal stability and mechanical properties. Also, the PEGDA-crosslinked
hydrogels demonstrated a higher degree of crosslinking than the
corresponding MBA-crosslinked hydrogels. Potential application of the
synthesized hydrogels for controlled drug delivery was investigated by using
two model drugs - oxaprozin and ciprofloxacin. In vitro drug release tests
indicated that the interactions between drug, polymer and medium have a key
influence on the drug release behavior, rather than the swelling rate. Drug
release tests in simulated gastrointestinal conditions indicated that
PEGDA-crosslinked PMAA hydrogels are suitable for colon-targeted delivery of
oxaprozin.