Drug Entrapment Efficiency of Silver Nanocomposite Hydrogel

Abstract Silver nanocomposite hydrogel (SNH) with biodegradable polymers, sodium alginate and sodium lignosulphonate was synthesized employing principles of green chemistry for possible application in the field of controlled drug release. One of the factor that determines the release of drug from blend is the quantity of drug present/trapped inside the polymer network. The entrapment of drug in the polymer matrix depends upon the stability of matrix and interaction between the drug and the matrix. In the present study effect of presence silver nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix on the Drug Entrapment Efficiency (DEE) for the drug ciprofloxacin (CPX) was investigated. The drug entrapment efficiency for CPX loaded beads of SA/LS was calculated for similar conditions, to evaluate the effect of silver nanoparticles. Experimental results confirmed role of crosslinking and presence of silver nanoparticles on the stability of SNH and its entrapment efficiency. Observations indicate that the drug entrapment is more for the SNH as compared to the blend. Presence of silver nanoparticles help stabilize the polymer matrix, improves binding inside the matrix, which leads to the better drug entrapment.