Citric acid crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel films for extended release of water soluble basic drugs

The aim of present work was to develop carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel films for extended delivery of water soluble basic drug, using citric acid (CA) as a cheap and non-toxic crosslinking agent. Gentamicin sulfate (GTM) was used as a model drug. The hydrogel films were evaluated for carboxyl content, tensile strength, swellability, drug loading and release, hemocompatibility and characterized by 13C-CP-MAS NMR, ATR-FTIR and thermal analysis (TGA and DSC). The instrumental analysis helped to confirm the formation of ester crosslinks. CMC-PVA hydrogel films exhibited greater carboxyl content, tensile strength and swellability than the pure CMC hydrogel films. The GTM loading increased with an increase in the amount of PVA in the hydrogel films. The CMC-PVA hydrogel films showed propensity to extend the release of GTM above 24 h. Hemolysis assay revealed the hemocompatible nature of the hydrogel films. Altogether, the CMC-PVA hydrogel films can be envisioned as promising biomaterial for the delivery of water soluble basic drugs.