Estudo de blendas poliméricas constituídas por goma xantana e poli (álcool vinílico) reticuladas com ácido cítrico para aplicação em sistemas de liberação controlada de fármacos

Abstract

Polymer blends are a prompt and economical way to obtain new materials and have attracted considerable interest. Xanthan gum (GX) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are polymers of great interest because of their properties. The high hydrophilic nature of these materials limits their applications, so they need to be submitted to the crosslinking process. In this work were prepared and characterized polymeric films (1% w / v) consisting of xanthan gum and poly (vinyl alcohol) without crosslinking agent and crosslinked with citric acid (CA) by casting for use in controlled drug release. The infrared analysis demonstrated possible interactions between the polymers in the blend and the incorporation of crosslinker into the polymer matrix. The scanning electron microscope revealed that the surfaces of the films are smooth and homogeneous even with the addition of crosslinking agent. The solubility, swelling and permeability to water vapor tests showed synergism between properties of polymers in the blend and citric acid attributed to the film water resistance. The compositions are stable in an inert atmosphere (N2), and films crosslinked with citric acid exhibited better thermal stability when compared with no crosslinking. The thermal degradation kinetics study complemented the results of thermal analysis showing that the PVA films are more stable and the crosslinking agent has improved thermal properties of the films. Biodegradability tests in soil revealed greater degradation to the polymer blends over a period of 160 days. The films exhibited no antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms studied. The application of crosslinked films with citric acid on controlled drug release showed that acetaminophen, propranolol and fluconazole release mechanism was controlled primarily by diffusion, swelling and relaxation of the polymer chains, with constant release profiles for 24 h, demonstrating that the developed films are promising materials for controlled drug release.