Rapid Deswelling of Porous Poly[2-(N-morpholino)ethyl methacrylate] Hydrogel and Controlled Release of Ibuprofen

A novel, rapidly responsive, cross-linkedpoly[(2-N morpholino)ethyl methacrylate] ( PMEMA) hydrogel was synthesized through free radical polymerization at room temperature. The highly swellable PMEMA gel displayed rapid deswelling kinetics in response to salt and temperature changes in its environment. During the deswelling test the hydrogel lost 75% of its water within 4 min in response to the salt effect, while it lost only 30% of its water in response to a temperature change within the same interval. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the PMEMA gel has numerous open pore channels allowing rapid diffusion of water or water-soluble molecules from the gel matrix. Such a rapid response to environmental stimuli is promising for biomedical applications. Therefore, the designed gel was used as a potential drug carrier using water insoluble Ibuprofen ( IBU) as a test drug. The results suggest that the PMEMA hydrogel would be beneficial for achieving a slow/controlled release of water-insoluble drugs.