Fabrication of Famotidine Loaded Sepiolite/Pectin Bionanocomposite Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery

Abstract

AbstractDevelopment of drug delivery systems is an extensively researched area in the biomedical field. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in fabrication of biocompatible nanofibrous drug delivery systems. The present study describes the fabrication of calcium chloride‐crosslinked bionanocomposite hydrogels based on pectin for the use of gastro‐retentive delivery system. Sepiolite/famotidine/pectin nanocomposite hydrogel was fabricated by using Ionotropic gelation process. The thermal, structural and morphological properties were evaluated via different experimental techniques such as TGA‐DSC, FTIR, and SEM. The prepared hydrogels showed a pH sensitive swelling profile with maximum water absorption at pH 1.2. Analysis of in‐vitro drug release data revealed that the sepiolite/famotidine/pectin nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited a slight initial burst release, followed by a sustained release over a 24 h period. This was observed both in simulated gastric fluid and in phosphate‐buffered saline, suggesting that these hydrogels are well‐suited for prolonged drug delivery. To investigate the drug release kinetics, various models were applied. The release of famotidine was predominantly governed by diffusion, as described by the Korsmeyer‐Peppas model.