The influence of hydrophylic polymers on the release rate of calcium dobesilate in hydrogel formulation assessed in vitro using porcine ear skin

Abstract

Abstract A shortage of available experimental data exists in the available bibliography on the release rate of calcium dobesilate (CD) from hydrogel formulations. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of selected hydrophilic nonionic polymers and anionic polymers on the release rate of CD from formulation provided for dermal application, as compared to the reference product in the market. The work utilized excised pork skin, while, Methylcellulose (MC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and anionic polymers (copolymers of acrylic acid) were used as CD carriers. The release study was executed by the pharmacopoeial paddle method, with extraction cells and fresh excised porcine skin as a membrane. CD in aqueous acceptor fluid was quantified by UV-VIS spectrometry at 300 nm. Subsequently, the kinetic curves were fitted to a zero-order kinetics model, a first-order kinetics model, a second-order kinetics model, as well as to the Higuchi model. The work saw that porcine ear skin influences the release pattern of the CD, compared to the artificial membrane. In the study, the evaluated formulations with MC, polyacrylic acid (PA) and polyacrylate crosspolymer 11 (PC-11) deliver over 60% of the active component (AC), within 250 min, through the excised porcine ear skin, to the acceptor compartment. Moreover, the release observed via porcine ear skin to the aqueous acceptor compartment is congenial to zero-order or first-order kinetics. In addition, the formulations prepared on the basis of MC and PA appear to control AC delivery, independently of actual concentration of AC.