Sustained release of drug from chitosan and silk fibroin blend films

Abstract

Chitosan/silk fibroin blend films were perpared by solution casting using glutraldehyde as crosslinking agent. Drug release properties of chitosan and blend films of various blend compositions were investigated in vitro using a modified Franz Diffusion Cell at 37C and pH 5.5. Pig skin was used as material representing human skin. Theophylline, salicylic acid, diclofenac sodium and amoxicillin trihydrate were used as model drugs. The order of drugs from the highest release to the lowest release was as follows: salicylic acid > theophylline > diclofenac sodium > a moxicillin trihydrate. F or all model drugs, the blend films with 80% chitosan gave the maximum drug release. In addition, an increase in thickness of the films resulted in a decrease in the amount of drug released. All model drug release data could be fitted to either zero order or Highuchi's model indicating that the releases of model drugs from chitosan and the blend films were either rate-controlling or diffusion-controlled releases. It was expected that the chitosan/silk fibroin blend fims could be used as matrix for sustained release of a drug for a transdermal drug delivery system.