Challenges and opportunities in polymer technology applied to veterinary medicine

Polymeric-based drug delivery systems for veterinary use: State of the art

One of the challenges to the success of veterinary pharmacotherapy is the limited number of drugs and dosage forms available exclusively to this market, due to the interspecies variability of animals, such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. For this reason, studies in this area have become a highlight, since they are still scarce in comparison with those on human drug use. To overcome many limitations related to the bioavailability, efficacy, and safety of pharmacotherapy in animals, especially livestock and domestic animals, polymers-based drug delivery systems are promising tools if they guarantee greater selectivity and less toxicity in dosage forms. In addition, these tools may be developed according to the great interspecies variability. To contribute to these discussions, this paper provides an updated review of the major polymer-based drug delivery systems projected for veterinary use. Traditional and innovative drug delivery systems based on polymers are presented, with an emphasis on films, microparticles, micelles, nanogels, nanoparticles, tablets, implants and hydrogel-based drug delivery systems. We discuss important concepts for the veterinarian about the mechanisms of drug release and, for the pharmacist, the advantages in the development of pharmaceutical forms for the animal population. Finally, challenges and opportunities are presented in the field of pharmaceutical dosage forms for veterinary use in response to the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.

Characteristics and kinetics simulation of controlled-release KMnO4 for phenol remediation

Controlled-release KMnO4 (CRP) technology has been recently developed as an improved, highly efficient technique in wastewater treatment. In this study, batch-style experiments were conducted to evaluate this technology. The release characteristics of CRP in distilled water and the reaction between CRP and phenol were studied and fitted using MATLAB software. Results indicated that in distilled water, temperature (T) and pH value had a larger effect than dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on the release characteristics of KMnO4, and this relationship can be accurately described by the following kinetic equation: logQ = log[1.141T(0.152)(pH)(-1.0536)(DO)(0.4674)] + [0.0048T(0.3756)(pH)(1.8854)(DO)(-0.0509)]logt. KMnO4 released from CRP can effectively degrade phenol-contaminated water with different concentrations. A simulated equation (r = -dCA/dt = -15.1705 CA(0.6840)CP(-0.1406)) characterizing phenol degradation was developed using MATLAB software. Comparison between the theoretical phenol removal rates deduced by the above two equations and the initial phenol concentration as well as the CRP dosage with the experimental data indicates that the differences between them were less than 20%. The results indicate phenol can be effectively removed by CRP and smaller dosage of KMnO4 was required compared with literature values. The models can provide guidance for CRP application in real polluted sites, which can lower the cost for site remediation.