Thermosensitive Soy Protein/Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogels for Drug Controlled Release

A series of the thermosensitive interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels composed of soy protein and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were successfully prepared. The structure and properties were systematically characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the hydrogels had good miscibility and high porosity, and the volume phase transition temperatures of the hydrogels were around 32 degrees C. The release behavior and the release mechanism of a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), were also investigated in detail. The results indicated that the release behavior of BSA had strong temperature dependence and the release percentage of BSA could be controlled by modulating the amount of soy protein or crosslinking agent. The analysis of the release mechanism revealed that the Fickian diffusion controlled release was dominant under the experimental conditions. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 3613-3620, 2011