Investigating Janus morphology development of poly(acrylic acid)/poly(2‑(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) composite particles: An experimental study and mathematical modeling of DOX release

Preparation of colloidal nanoparticles PVA-PHEMA from hydrolysis of copolymers of PVAc-PHEMA as anticancer drug carriers

The novel pH-responsive polymer nanoparticles have been widely used for drug delivery and cancer therapy. The pH-sensitive nanoparticles include chemical structures that can accept or donate protons in response to an environmental pH change. Polybases which mostly contain alkaline groups such as amines and hydroxy, accept protons at low pH and are neutral at higher pH values. This study aimed to prepare pH-sensitive colloidal amphiphilic poly(vinyl alcohol-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PVA-PHEMA) copolymers in cancer therapy applications. For this purpose, poly(vinyl acetate-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PVAc-PHEMA) copolymer nanoparticles were synthesized in different polymerization medium fractions from water and methanol and different monomer feed concentration. Then acetate groups were hydrolyzed, and the PHEMA-PVA nanoparticles were synthesized. The nanoparticles were further characterized using dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis to identify the structural and morphological changes. The Methotrexate (MTX) was loaded into the nanoparticles, and drug release kinetics were evaluated. The results confirmed that PHEMA-PVA copolymeric nanoparticles could be favorably used in cancer therapy.

Novel Synthesis, Characterization and Amoxicillin Release Study of pH-Sensitive Nanosilica/Poly(acrylic acid) Macroporous Hydrogel with High Swelling

The effect of SiO₂ nanoparticles on the formation of PAA (poly acrylic acid) gel structure was investigated with seeded emulsion polymerization method used to prepare SiO₂/PAA nanoparticles. The morphologies of the nanocomposite nanoparticles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results indicated that the PAA was chemically bonded to the surface of the SiO₂ nanoparticles. Additionally, the resulting morphology of the nanocomposite nanoparticles confirmed the co-crosslinking role of the SiO₂ nanoparticles in the formation of the 3D structure and hydrogel of PAA. SiO₂/PAA nanocomposite hydrogels were synthesized by in situ solution polymerization with and without toluene. The morphology studies by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed that when the toluene was used as a pore forming agent in the polymerization process, a macroporous hydrogel structure was achieved. The pH-sensitive swelling behaviors of the nanocomposite hydrogels showed that the formation of pores in the gels structure was a dominant factor on the water absorption capacity. In the current research the absorption capacity was changed from about 500 to 4000 g water/g dry hydrogel. Finally, the macroporous nanocomposite hydrogel sample was tested as an amoxicillin release system in buffer solutions with pHs of 3, 7.2, and 9 at 37 °C. The results showed that the percentage cumulative release of amoxicillin from the hydrogels was higher in neutral and basic mediums than in the acidic medium and the amoxicillin release rate was decreased with increasing pH. Additionally, the release results were very similar to swelling results and hence amoxicillin release was a swelling controlled-release system.

Description of Release Process of Doxorubicin from Modified Carbon Nanotubes

The article discusses the release process of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) from multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The studies described a probable mechanism of release and actions between the surface of functionalized MWCNTs and anticancer drugs. The surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been modified via treatment in nitric acid to optimize the adsorption and release process. The modification efficiency and physicochemical properties of the MWCNTs+DOX system were analyzed by using SEM, TEM, EDS, FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy and UV-Vis methods. Based on computer simulations at pH 7.4 and the experiment at pH 5.4, the kinetics and the mechanism of DOX release from MWNT were discussed. It has been experimentally observed that the acidic pH (5.4) is appropriate for the efficient release of the drug from CNTs. It was noted that under acidic pH conditions, which is typical for the tumour microenvironment almost 90% of the drug was released in a relatively short time. The kinetics models based on different mathematical functions were used to describe the release mechanism of drugs from MWCNTs. Our studies indicated that the best fit of experimental kinetic curves of release has been observed for the Power-law model and the fitted parameters suggest that the drug release mechanism of DOX from MWCNTs is controlled by Fickian diffusion. Molecular dynamics simulations, on the other hand, have shown that in a neutral pH solution, which is close to the blood pH, the release process does not occur keeping the aggregation level constant. The presented studies have shown that MWCNTs are promising carriers of anticancer drugs that, depending on the surface modification, can exhibit different adsorption mechanisms and release.

Adsorption kinetics of methyl orange from water by pH-sensitive poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)/nanocrystalline cellulose hydrogels

A series of hydrogel nanocomposites was fabricated by in situ polymerization of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in presence of different amounts of (amine- and alkyl-modified) nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). Modification and nanocomposites properties were proved by different analysis methods such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The new hydrogel nanocomposites were applied for removing methyl orange (MO) used as anionic dye and presented in process water at different pH values. The effects of the fabrication process such as modification and content of NCC, contact time, and pH value on swelling ratio (SR), and equilibrium adsorption kinetics were studied. Results showed that the swelling ratio of PDMAEMA-based nanocomposites varied with the different types of nanoparticles showing the significant effect of the modification process. The MO adsorption into the hydrogel nanocomposites was affected by intermolecular and electrostatic interactions between functional groups of hydrogel and dye. The adsorption capacity decreased at high pH value, and it was significantly affected type of nanoparticles introduced into the hydrogel network. The addition of unmodified NCC did not affect adsorption kinetics significantly. Finally, adsorption kinetics was investigated by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models where pseudo-first-order model showed the best correlation with experimental results.