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Polymers
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Polymers in Pharmacy and Biomedicine: Versatility of Sources and Applications
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Polymers in Pharmacy and Biomedicine: Versatility of Sources and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 6662

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abbas Ibrahim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Interests: drug delivery; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last decades, polymers have been widely used in pharmaceutical preparation. Polymers present versatile functions in drug delivery, targeting and controlling drug release. In addition, it is expected that further biomedical applications of polymeric materials will be found in the near future. A proper selection of polymers plays a crucial role in pharmaceutical formulation in terms of drug solubility, absorption, tissue distribution and the stability of the dosage form. A variety of natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic polymers could be used in pharmaceutical formulations. Moreover, with increasing disease complexity, an improved drug delivery system is in demand, and to develop these polymer-based delivery systems could be beneficial.

The aim of this Special Issue is to shed the light on the progress in and fundamental aspects of the synthesis, characterization, properties, and biomedical application of polymers and biologically relevant macromolecules, as well as their copolymers and nanocomposites. This Special Issue covers the application of polymers in pharmaceutical industries, biology and medicine to deliver drugs with good efficacy, safety and quality.

Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Sources of pharmaceutical and biomedical polymers;
  • Polymers in various drug delivery systems;
  • Polymer-based nanoparticulate drug delivery systems;
  • Role of polymers in pharmaceutical processing and manufacturing;
  • Biomedical applications of polymers;
  • Pharmaceutical applications of smart polymers;
  • Polymers in coating materials.

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abbas Ibrahim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymers
  • dissolution
  • bioavailability
  • drug delivery
  • targeting
  • nanotechnology
  • biomedicine

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4830 KiB  
Article
Development and Evaluation of Sodium Alginate/Carbopol 934P-Co-Poly (Methacrylate) Hydrogels for Localized Drug Delivery
by Ayesha Mahmood, Asif Mahmood, Mohamed A. Ibrahim, Zahid Hussain, Muhammad Umar Ashraf, Mounir M. Salem-Bekhit and Ibrahim Elbagory
Polymers 2023, 15(2), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020311 - 7 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3717
Abstract
This research was carried out to create a pH-responsive polymeric system for the targeted drug delivery of Diloxanide furoate. It relied on sodium alginate (Na-Alg) and Carbopol 934P as building blocks. Using an aqueous free radical polymerization method, SCH1-SCH12 was created with varying [...] Read more.
This research was carried out to create a pH-responsive polymeric system for the targeted drug delivery of Diloxanide furoate. It relied on sodium alginate (Na-Alg) and Carbopol 934P as building blocks. Using an aqueous free radical polymerization method, SCH1-SCH12 was created with varying polymer, MAA, and MBA input ratios. Positive outcomes were seen in the swelling and release profiles at higher pH levels. Hydrogel formation, as well as component compatibility, thermal stability, and Diloxanide furoate loading, were all validated by instrumental characterization. A drug loading percentage of 83.56% was determined, with the swelling reaching 743.19%. For the formulation with MBA, the gel fraction was 94.58%. The release of diloxanide furoate increased to 91.77% at neutral pH. The formulation containing Carbopol 934P provided the highest mucoadhesion force (3993.42 dynes/cm2). The created hydrogel has been shown to be biocompatible by toxicological testing of the network. Based on the findings, the created polymeric nexus proved promising for pH-dependent localized and regulated delivery of Diloxanide furoate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Pharmacy and Biomedicine: Versatility of Sources and Applications)
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21 pages, 4078 KiB  
Article
The Optimization and Evaluation of Flibanserin Fast-Dissolving Oral Films
by Adel F. Alghaith, Gamal M. Mahrous, Gamal A. Shazly, Diaa Eldin Z. Zidan, Abdullah S. Alhamed, Mohammed Alqinyah, Mohammed M. Almutairi and Saeed A. Syed
Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4298; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204298 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2259
Abstract
Flibanserin (FLB) is a drug used for female hypotensive sexual desire disorder approved by the FDA in August 2015. FLB exhibits extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism and low aqueous solubility, hence poor oral bioavailability. In this study, beta hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin-FLB inclusion complexes were incorporated [...] Read more.
Flibanserin (FLB) is a drug used for female hypotensive sexual desire disorder approved by the FDA in August 2015. FLB exhibits extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism and low aqueous solubility, hence poor oral bioavailability. In this study, beta hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin-FLB inclusion complexes were incorporated into orally fast dissolving films. This dosage form was expected to improve FLB aqueous solubility, which would give fast onset of action and decrease presystemic metabolism, hence improving oral bioavailability. The inclusion complex at a ratio of 1:1 was prepared by the kneading method. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used to confirm complex formation. The Box–Behnken design (15 different formulae of FLB fast-dissolving oral films (FLBFDOFs) were utilized for the optimization of the prepared films. The Expert Design 11 program was utilized to examine the effects of three selected factors, polymer concentration (X1), plasticizer concentration (X2), and disintegrant concentration (X3) on four responses: disintegration time (DT), initial dissolution rate (IDR), dissolution efficiency (DE), and film quality (QF). Numerical optimization was performed by minimizing disintegration time (Y1), while maximizing the initial drug dissolution rate (Y2), dissolution efficiency (Y3), and the quality factor (Y4). The statistical analysis showed that X1 has a significant positive effect on the disintegration time and a significant negative effect on IDR. While X2 and X3 produced a nonsignificant negative effect on IDR. Dissolution efficiency was maximized at the middle concentration of both X2 and X3. The best film quality was observed at the middle concentration of both X1 and X2. In addition, increasing X3 leads to an improvement in film quality. The optimized film cast from an aqueous solution contains hydroxypropyl cellulose (2%) as a hydrophilic film-forming agent and propylene glycol (0.8%) as a plasticizer and cross povidone (0.2%) as a disintegrant. The prepared film released 98% of FLB after 10 min and showed good physical and mechanical properties. The optimized formula showed a disintegration time of 30 s, IDR of 16.6% per minute, DE15 of 77.7%, and QF of 90%. This dosage form is expected to partially avoid the pre-systemic metabolism with a fast onset of action, hence improving its bioavailability that favors an advantage over conventional dosage forms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Pharmacy and Biomedicine: Versatility of Sources and Applications)
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