Application of Mesoscale Simulation to Explore the pH Response of Eudragit S100 Used as the Novel Colon-Targeted Powder of Pulsatilla Saponin D

Abstract

As a pH-sensitive nanomaterial, Eudragit S100 has good colon targeting. However, little research has been carried out on its mesoscopic scale. In this paper, the self-assembly behavior of Pulsatilla saponins D (PSD) and Eudragit S100, as well as the loading and release mechanism of PSD, was investigated via computer simulations. The effects of the self-assembly characteristics of PSD and Eudragit S100 in the dry powder state on the drug-carrier ratio were explored by the coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) method. According to the pH-responsive feature of Eudragit S100, the drug protection under gastric pH conditions and release in colonic pH conditions were simulated through the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method, which has provided insights into the microscopic morphological changes in the pH-sensitive drug delivery systems.