Controlled drug release of levofloxacin from poly (acrylamide) hydrogel

Hydrogels are 3D polymer networks capable to absorb and release water or biological fluids. They are stimuli-responsive materials, which can show rapid volume changes with response to small changes in environmental parameters such as ionic strength, pH, and temperature. In this work, we performed a synthesis of Poly(acrylamide) hydrogel and tested for controlled release of levofloxacin hemihydrate as a model drug. We used sodium metabisulfite and potassium persulphate as free radical initiators to prepare hydrogel with methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker. Characterization of hydrogel was performed by TGA, SEM, and FT-IR. Swelling study and drug release were performed at pH 1.2 and 7.4 solutions, identical to the gastrointestinal fluid at 37°C (human body temperature) to examine possible site-specific drug delivery. UV-Visible spectrophotometer was used to measure the concentration of drug release. Results exhibited the pH and temperature-dependent drug release. The amount of drug release was found to be 17% and 99% in acidic and alkaline pH of 1.2 and 7.4, respectively, after 6 hours.