STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS OF CROSSLINKED CHITOSAN BEADS IN RESPONSE TO SOLUTION pH

Abstract

The present investigation describes a novel method for preparing beads based on crosslinked chitosan with glutaraldehyde interpenetrating glycine polymer network. Four type of beads, viz., CHI1 (composed of chitosan, glycine and glutaraldehyde); CHI2 (composed of chitosan and glutaraldehyde); CHI3 (composed of chitosan and glycine) and CHI4 (only chitosan) were prepared and their release characteristics were studied using thyamine hydrochloride (Thy-HCl) as a model drug. Structural changes during swelling of CHI1 beads in solutions of different pH were studied using IR and UV spectroscopy.

Keywords:

• Beads
• Biodegradable
• Chitosan
• Controlled Release
• Swelling Degree

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Authors would like to thank Dr. K. G. Ramachandran Nair, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India for Chitosan. One of the authors (MNVRK) gratefully acknowledges All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi, India for financial assistance.