Development and characterization of sodium alginate/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) composite films for release behavior of ciprofloxacin hydrogen chloride monohydrate

Biopolymers, in particular polysaccharides, have attracted considerable interest in the field of drug delivery due to their biodegradable and biocompatible nature. This study is focused on the preparation and characterization of drug delivery devices based on sodium alginate (SA) composite films with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). The prepared composite films were characterized for the determination of physiochemical properties, molecular interactions, and drug release behavior. The possible intermolecular hydrogen bonding between SA and PSS was determined by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Surface characterization was done using AFM. Polymeric films consisted of pristine SA and PSS exhibited relatively uniform and flat surfaces. However, the composite films showed phase separation that became more prominent as the concentration of PSS in the composite films was increased up to 40% (w/w). The contact angle (CA) values, using deionized water as a function of time (s), were ranging from 74 degrees to 90 degrees, and a decrease in CA (64 degrees to 76 degrees) was recorded for each composite film till 40 s. These CA values revealed that all the composite films were hydrophobic. It was observed that as the concentration of PSS in the films increased, hydrophobicity slightly varied as compared to the blank films of SA and PSS. Maximum CA (89 degrees) was shown by a composite film having SA/PSS (90/10). Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride monohydrate (CPX), a model drug, loaded in a suitable composite film (cross-linked with 0.3 M CaCl2 solution) and drug release was evaluated in pH 1.2 simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and pH 7.4 phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. In SGF, around 90% of the model drug was released in 110 min that was approximately 77% in the case of PBS. Therefore, it was concluded that a sustained drug release behavior was exhibited in SGF as compared to PBS solution. These results suggest that these films are a promising and may potentially be subjected to study further their drug delivery behavior in applications like wound dressing. [GRAPHICS] .