Polyelectrolyte complex of carboxymethyl gum katira-chitosan: Preparation and characterization.

In the present study polyelectrolyte complex between carboxymethyl gum katira and chitosan were prepared and evaluated for drug delivery using ofloxacin as model drug. The carboxymethyl gum katira-chitosan polyelectrolyte complex was characterized by FTIR, DSC, TGA, DTG, XRD and SEM. The influence of concentration of CMGK/CH and drug loading (%) on yield (%) and drug entrapment (%) was studied using response surface methodology. The result of the study revealed that increasing the relative proportion of CMGK/CH in carboxymethyl gum katira-chitosan polyelectrolyte complex decreases the % yield and increases the % drug entrapment. The optimal calculated parameters were polymer ratio (CMGK/CH) 2.13 and drug loading 50 (%w/w). The optimized batch of carboxymethyl gum katira-chitosan polyelectrolyte complex had yield of 69.04%, entrapment efficiency of ofloxacin 84.86%. Further, the optimized batch of carboxymethyl gum katira-chitosan polyelectrolyte complex releases ofloxacin 84.32% following Higuchi's square-root kinetics.