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Gelatin and amylopectin-based phase-separated hydrogels: An in-depth analysis of the swelling, mechanical, electrical and drug release properties

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Abstract

The current study delineates the development of gelatin–amylopectin-based phase-separated hydrogels for drug delivery applications. Gelatin and amylopectin were used as the representative protein and polysaccharide phases, respectively. The hydrogels were prepared by adding different proportions of amylopectin to gelatin solutions and subsequently cross-linking the mixture using glutaraldehyde. Microscopic analysis showed formation of phase-separated hydrogels. Secondary structure of gelatin was conserved within the hydrogels. The presence of amylopectin drastically reduced the rate of water absorption by the hydrogels. Viscoelastic analysis using stress relaxation study suggested an increase in the viscous component of the hydrogels with the increase in the amylopectin content. After incorporating amylopectin within the gelatin hydrogel, even though the bulk resistance remained unaltered, there was a corresponding variation in the capacitive elements of the equivalent electrical models. The release of the drug from the hydrogels was diffusion mediated. Suitable mathematical models were used for the analysis of the swelling (Peleg’s model), viscoelastic (Weichert model), electrical (RQQ model) and drug release (Korsmeyer–Peppas and Peppas–Sahlin models) properties. The drug retained its antimicrobial activity within the hydrogels. An analysis of the results suggested that the developed hydrogels may be explored as matrices for controlled drug delivery applications.

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Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge the support provided by National Institute of Technology, Rourkela for the completion of this study. The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding through the Research Group Project No. RG 1435-015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769008, India

    Indu Yadav, Gauri S. Shaw, Suraj K. Nayak, Indranil Banerjee & Kunal Pal

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Hamid Shaikh, S. M. Al-Zahrani & Arfat Anis

Authors
  1. Indu Yadav
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  2. Gauri S. Shaw
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  3. Suraj K. Nayak
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  4. Indranil Banerjee
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  5. Hamid Shaikh
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  6. S. M. Al-Zahrani
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  7. Arfat Anis
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Correspondence to Arfat Anis or Kunal Pal.

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Yadav, I., Shaw, G.S., Nayak, S.K. et al. Gelatin and amylopectin-based phase-separated hydrogels: An in-depth analysis of the swelling, mechanical, electrical and drug release properties. Iran Polym J 25, 799–810 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-016-0468-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-016-0468-y

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