Abstract

BLEND MICROSPHERS OF SUCCINYL CHITOSAN AND GELATIN FOR THE CONTROLLED RELEASE OF 5-FLUOROURACIL

P. Ramakrishna* and K. Harish Babu

Abstract

The Present study involves the Preparation and in vitro evaluation of targeted microspheres containing 5- Fluorouracil for the treatment of cancer. They were formulated using N-succinyl chitosan (NSCS) blended with Gelatin (GE) to prepare microspheres by w/o emulsion cross-linking in the presence of glutaraldehyde (GA), which acted as a cross-linker. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was encapsulated to investigate its controlled release (CR) characteristics in pH 7.4 buffer media. The microspheres were characterized by FT-IR, DSC and SEM. The microspheres were also evaluated as to encapsulation efficiency, swelling and in vitro drug release. The microspheres which formed were spherical in nature, with smooth surfaces, as concluded by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the Succinylation of CS and the chemical stability of 5-FU in the formulations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed the physical state and molecular level dispersion of 5- FU. Equilibrium swelling of microspheres was performed in water, in order to understand the water uptake properties.

Keywords: Succinyl chitosan, gelatin, controlled release, 5-FU, blend microsphere.