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Controlled release of prednisolone acetate from molecularly imprinted hydrogel contact lenses
Author(s) -
MalaekehNikouei Bizhan,
Ghaeni Fatemeh Abbasi,
Motamedshariaty Vahideh Sadat,
Mohajeri Seyed Ahmad
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.36625
Subject(s) - comonomer , self healing hydrogels , methacrylic acid , ethylene glycol dimethacrylate , methacrylate , polymer chemistry , molecular imprinting , materials science , polymerization , monomer , chemical engineering , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , composite material , selectivity , catalysis , engineering
The aim of this work was to study the influence of methacrylic acid (MAA) as a comonomer and the application of a molecular imprinting technique on the loading and release properties of weakly crosslinked 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hydrogels, with a view toward their use as reloadable soft contact lenses for the administration of prednisolone acetate (PA). The hydrogels were prepared with HEMA (95.90–98.30 mol %) as a backbone monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (140 m M ) as a crosslinker, and MAA (0, 50, 100, or 200 m M ) as a functional monomer. Different PA/MAA molar ratios (0, 1 : 8, 1 : 6, and 1 : 4) in the feed composition of the hydrogels were also applied to study the influence of the molecular imprinting technique on their binding properties. The hydrogels (0.4 mm thick) were synthesized by thermal polymerization at 60°C for 24 h in a polypropylene mold. The hydrogels were then characterized by the determination of their swelling and binding properties in water. Their loading and release properties were also studied in 0.9% NaCl and artificial lachrymal fluid. Increasing the MAA content of the hydrogel and applying the molecular imprinting technique led to an increase in the loading capacity of the hydrogel. The optimized imprinted hydrogel showed the highest affinity for PA and the greatest ability to control the release process, sustaining it for 48 h. The results obtained clearly indicate that the incorporation of MAA as a comonomer increased the PA loading capacity of hydrogel. Our data showed that the molecular imprinting technique also had a significant effect on the loading and release properties of the hydrogels. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012