Synthesis and Characterization of Graphene-Grafted Gelatin Nanocomposite Hydrogels As Emerging Drug Delivery Systems Publisher



Zeinali Kalkhoran AH^{1, 2} ; Naghib SM³ ; Vahidi O¹ ; Rahmanian M⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Biomedical Physics and Engineering Express Published:2018

Abstract

The rate of drug release from the hydrogels can be influenced by various parameters such as swelling, polymer dissolution/erosion, drug dissolution/diffusion characteristics, drug concentration inside the hydrogel structure, the degree of crosslinking and geometry of hydrogel matrix. Hence, using mathematical modeling coupled with experimental procedures can be useful in recognizing the factors affecting the mechanism of drug release. Here, gelatin/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) composite was prepared and characterized by structural analyses. The swelling ratio of the nanocomposite hydrogel was determined at different concentrations of GNPs and crosslinker. The influence of the GNPs ratio on drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies of hydrogels were also investigated. After in vitro drug release from drug-loaded hydrogels into PBS solution, the release profile showed an initial burst release during the first 5 h, followed by a relatively slow release until 24 h. Finally, a model-fitting was used to deepen our understanding of the experimental data. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.