Graft copolymerization of polyvinylpyrollidone onto Azadirachta indica gum polysaccharide in the presence of crosslinker to develop hydrogels for drug delivery applications.

In this work, graft-copolymerization of poly vinylpyrollidone onto Azadirachta indica gum polysaccharide in the presence of crosslinker has been carried out to prepare the hydrogel for use in drug delivery. The polymers were characterized by cryo-SEM, AFM, FTIR, and 13C NMR. The gel strength, cross-link density, mesh size, thrombogenicity, antioxidant and mucoadhesion properties of the gum-PVP hydrogels were determined along with the evaluation of drug release profile of methyl prednisolone, a colonic anti-inflammatory agent, from the drug loaded hydrogels. Cryo SEM images showed the porous crosslinked structure of the polymer network. The drug release from the polymer followed non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. The polymers showed 71.47 ± 4.63% haemo-compatibility and 05.52 ± 0.59 Nmm gel strength. The value of DPPH radical scavenging assay (73.16 ± 04.85%) indicated that the gum-PVP polymers are antioxidant. The results of biocompatibility, antioxidant activity, mucoadhesion and drug release properties of the polymers inferred the use of this drug carrier for colonic drug delivery.