Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide grafted carboxymethylxyloglucan based microbeads for pH responsive drug delivery

Abstract The present study investigates the pharmaceutical application of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide grafted carboxymethylxyloglucan (HPam-g-CMXG), as promising polymeric material for the development of pH responsive microbeads. The graft copolymer was synthesized by conventional free radical polymerization method and saponified to enhance its functionality and characterized. An acute oral toxicity study ensured the bio-safety of developed copolymer for clinical application. Various batches of pH responsive spherical microbeads were developed and evaluated for the effect of process parameters on their overall performance. Result of in vitro drug release study (USP Type-II, paddle method) carried out in two different pH media (pH 1.2 and pH 7.4) showed a triphasic drug release pattern in all the formulations. Both the drug release and swelling of microbeads were significantly higher in simulated intestinal (alkaline) pH compared to simulated gastric (acidic) pH and this nature is desirable for targeted drug delivery. A strong correlation was observed between the process parameters and matrix composition and it directly influenced the drug transport mechanism. In conclusion, the hydrolyzed polyacrylamide grafted carboxymethylxyloglucan holds an immense potential to be explored pharmaceutically as new matrix material for the design of targeted drug delivery system.