Synthesis and Evaluation of Alginate-Based Nanogels as Sustained Drug Carriers for Caffeine

Abstract

The objective of this study is to design a polymeric network of nanogels for sustained release of caffeine. Therefore, alginate-based nanogels were fabricated by a free-radical polymerization technique for the sustained delivery of caffeine. Polymer alginate was crosslinked with monomer 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid by crosslinker N′,N′-methylene bisacrylamide. The prepared nanogels were subjected to sol–gel fraction, polymer volume fraction, swelling, drug loading, and drug release studies. A high gel fraction was seen with the increasing feed ratio of polymer, monomer, and crosslinker. Greater swelling and drug release were observed at pH 4.6 and 7.4 as compared to pH 1.2 due to the deprotonation and protonation of functional groups of alginate and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. An increase was observed in swelling, loading, and release of the drug with the incorporation of a high feed ratio of polymer and monomer, while a reduction was seen with the increase in crosslinker feed ratio. Similarly, an HET-CAM test was used to evaluate the safety of the prepared nanogels, which showed that the prepared nanogels have no toxic effect on the chorioallantoic membrane of fertilized chicken eggs. Similarly, different characterizations techniques such as FTIR, DSC, SEM, and particle size analysis were carried out to determine the development, thermal stability, surface morphology, and particle size of the synthesized nanogels, respectively. Thus, we can conclude that the prepared nanogels can be used as a suitable agent for the sustained release of caffeine.

pH-Responsive, Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging and Highly Swellable Nanogel for Colon-Targeted Oral Drug Delivery

“…This augmentation in negative charge results in heightened repulsion between the nanogels and DOX, consequently leading to increased drug release. These results align with those of Suhail et al, who observed similar trends of enhanced drug release from alginate- g -poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) nanogels at pH 7.4 compared to 4.6 …”

Agar Graft Modification with Acrylic and Methacrylic Acid for the Preparation of pH-Sensitive Nanogels for 5-Fluorouracil Delivery

“…The 5-FU content of nanogels was estimated in deionized water using the extraction method [ 61 ]. The desired amount of 5-FU-loaded dry nanoparticles was extracted in 100 mL of deionized water at room temperature under stirring until all the drug was removed from the nanogels.…”

Smart stimuli-responsive polysaccharide nanohydrogels for drug delivery: a review

“…In this context, Suhail et al 71 have created a network of nanogels using polymers to achieve a continuous release of caffeine. To attain this, they employed a free-radical polymerization method to fabricate alginate-based nanogels.…”