Preparation and characterization of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylateco- methyl methacrylate) hydrogels for sustained delivery of antitumor drug.

The aim of this study was to prepare different types of cisplatin loaded poly(HEMA-co-MMA) hydrogel based implants. These systems are designed to release the drug in a time-controlled manner over several weeks which can help in optimizing the treatment of tumors. The prepared implants were evaluated for swellability, in vitro and in vivo release and biodegradation studies. Swelling studies of the implants were carried out in 7.4 pH phosphate buffer solution and swelling was to depend on the extent of cross-linking. From the results of in vitro release studies it was observed that, the diffusion coefficient of cisplatin in the early stages was in the range of 4.3× 10-6 to 8.0 ×10-6 cm2 min-1 and at later stages it was found to be in the range of 3.2 × 10-8 to 6.0 ×10-8 cm2 min-1. The results of the in vivo drug release revealed that the drug release was faster in vivo compared to the in vitro release for the corresponding formulations. The in vivo studies showed that cisplatin was released for a period of 20 days and also there was no fibrous capsule formation around the implant indicating the biocompatibility of the implant.