Preparation and characterization of pH responsive poly(methacrylic acid-acrylamide-N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide) hydrogels for drug delivery systems

In this study, pH responsive polymers composed of methacrylic acid, acrylamide, and N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide were synthesized by free radical polymerization technique. The characterization was done with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The swelling and drug release behavior of the hydrogels was determined as a function of time at 37 degrees C in pH 2.1 and 7.4. The swelling and drug release studies showed that increased methacrylic acid amount caused a higher increase in swelling and drug release values at pH 7.4 than those at pH 2.1. In addition, the drug release data were applied to kinetic models such as zero order, first order, and Higuchi equations, and it fit well in the Higuchi model of the hydrogel. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.