Design of a new water-soluble pressure-sensitive adhesive for patch preparation.

This work was intended to improve the adhesion properties of an available medical water-soluble pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) through the addition of cellulose ethers or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The adhesion properties were evaluated by means of peel adhesion test and creep resistance test. Possible interactions between the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and hydrocolloid were investigated by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, a central composite design was used to estimate the effects of hydrocolloids and plasticizers and their interactions on the PSA performance. The addition of PVP made it possible to obtain a patch with a 40-fold improved creep compliance and a reduced peel adhesion. The significant increase of the matrix cohesion was due to attractive interactions between the amide group of PVP and the carboxylic acid group of PMMA. The water vapor permeability of the prepared systems was very high. Furthermore, no primary skin irritation was observed. The presence of plasticizers at high level increased both the peel values and creep compliance, showing an opposite behavior with respect to PVP. The new PSA system can be easily removed from the skin, is suitable for repeated applications on the same site, and has adhesive properties that can be modified by changing the component ratios.