Poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted chitosan microspheres for controlled release of ampicillin.

Microspheres of 50-500 microm diameter were prepared from a blend of chitosan and chitosan-g-PMMA. Environmental scanning electron microscopic and SEM studies revealed that the microspheres are porous and the pores extend toward the inner core of the microspheres. The microspheres were also found to be hemocompatible and cytocompatible. A model drug ampicillin was used to evaluate the drug loading capacity and the controlled release properties of the microspheres. The system maintained a sustained release of ampicillin for a period of more than 8 days. The drug-loaded chitosan/chitosan-g-PMMA microspheres exhibited higher antibacterial activity for both the gram positive (ATCC 25923 S. aureus) and gram negative (ATCC 25922 E. coli) bacteria than the drug-loaded virgin chitosan microspheres. The percentage release and bioactivity of ampicillin was found to be higher for the chitosan/chitosan-g-PMMA microspheres than the virgin chitosan microspheres. Potential applications such as oral drug delivery, wound dressings, tissue engineering, and so forth, are envisaged from these microspheres.