Preparation, characterization, and properties of amylose-ibuprofen inclusion complexes†

The amylose-ibuprofen (IBU) inclusion complexes were prepared through the enzymatic polymerization of amylose in the presence of IBU and by acidification of an alkali solution (KOH/HCl). The XRD analysis indicated that amylose and IBU formed the V-type crystalline. The Raman analysis further confirmed the formation of the amylose-IBU inclusion complexes. The clusters of Am-IBU complex were observed as spherical particles in the sizes ranging from 30 to 80 nm in the AFM images. The amylose-IBU inclusion complexes were stable in the simulated gastric fluid, but IBU was sustainedly released from the complexes in the simulated medium of the small intestine. This is related to the hydrolysis behaviors of the inclusion complexes by amylase. On the basis of these data, amylose-IBU inclusion complexes release IBU in an intestinally targeting and controlled manner, which is advantageous for improving the therapeutic effect of IBU.