Alginate hydrogels as pH responsive systems for vaginal administration

• Grant number: 14/22446-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: October 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Palmira Daflon Gremião
• Grantee: Taciane Alvarenga Perez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Conventional pharmaceutical dosage forms do not always provide the drug with the ability to interact with specific targets in the organism in appropriate concentrations so as to have the desired biological effect. This can occur especially due to the barriers between the local or administration route and the target tissue where it exerts its therapeutic effect. In this context, drug vectorization is a challenge in the research and development of delivery systems. The vagina route is a promising route of administration that has been widely explored in lockstep with the development of systems able to promote drug vectorization. Polymeric materials may present mucoadhesive and pH-responsive properties, thus establishing interactions with vagina mucous or reorganizing their structures differently at a given pH value, allowing of an increased residence time at the site of interest and increased efficiency of different drugs or biomolecules. In this study, alginate hydrogels, chemically cross-linked with calcium, will be developed in order to obtain pH-responsive and mucoadhesive systems containing polymyxin B for the vaginal route. Sodium alginate will be characterized by RMN 1H and Static Light Scattering (SLS). Hydrogels, prepared with or without Polymyxin B, will be analyzed for their mucoadhesion and their ability to swell at different pH values. Experimental results will be evaluated by using statistical analysis.