Interesting correlation between structure, physicomechanical, swelling and sustained transdermal release behavior of diltiazem hydrochloride in various poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel membranes

Interesting correlation between physicomechanical and in vitro release behavior of diltiazem hydrochloride has been obtained in physically treated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes of widely different molecular weights. Physical treatment could not raise crystallinity in dry state, but some of them show significant postswelled crystallinity and achieves elastomeric character. They also retain lot of equilibrium water, ideally suited for drug-impregnated transdermal patches. In effect, low molecular weight PVA and dimethyl sulfoxide-modified high molecular weight PVA membranes have shown acceptable release of diltiazem hydrochloride when compared with thermally treated high molecular weight PVA membrane. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012