Preparation and properties of a pH/temperature-responsive carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)semi-IPN hydrogel for oral delivery of drugs

Thermo- and pH-responsive semi-IPN polyampholyte hydrogels were prepared by using carboxymethylchitosan and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) as the crosslinking agent. The swelling characteristics of these hydrogels at distinct compositions as a function of pH and temperature were investigated. It was found that the semi-IPN hydrogels demonstrated the pH- and temperature-responsive nature of the materials, and it also showed good reversibility. The study on the release of coenzyme A (CoA) showed that within 24 h the cumulative release ratio of CoA was 22.6% in pH 2.1 solution and 89.1% in pH 7.4 solution at 37 °C, respectively. The release rate of CoA was higher at 37 °C than 25 °C in a pH 7.4 buffer solution. An increased release rate of CoA was observed with the content of carboxymethylchitosan increasing in the hydrogel at 25 °C in pH 7.4 solution. These results show that semi-IPN hydrogel seems to be of great promise in pH-temperature oral drug delivery systems.