Study of the diffusion in polymer solutions and hydrogels by NMR spectroscopy and NMR imaging
In an effort to study the diffusion and release of small molecules in a polymeric system, the self-diffusion coefficients of a series of star polymers with a cholic acid core bearing four poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) arms in aqueous solutions and gels of poly(vinyl alcohol) were determined by pulsed gradient spin-echo NMR techniques. The results have been compared with those of linear and dendritic PEGs to elucidate the effect of the architecture of the polymers. The amphiphilic star polymers show similar concentration-dependent diffusion behaviors in the dilute regime to their linear homologues. They diffuse more slowly in the semi-dilute regime than the linear PEGs due to the presence of the hydrophobic core. The conformation of the star polymers in the solutions was studied by measuring the T1 values of the core and the arms of the diffusants. NMR imaging was used to study the swelling of polymeric tablets and diffusion in the polymer matrix. The tablets investigated were made of cross-linked high amylose starch (CHAS) and loaded with acetaminophen (10, 20 and 40 wt%). The swelling, water uptake and diffusion in the CHAS network are faster at higher drug loading levels, while the drug release rates are similar among all the tablets. The in vitro swelling of the tablets made of a polyelectrolyte complex based on chitosan and carboxymethylated starch has also been studied by NMR imaging. These tablets showed pH-sensitive behavior. They swelled much more in acidic media than in neutral media due to dissociation of the two components and the protonation of the amino groups in the chitosan residues. The comparison of the results with those obtained with the CHAS tablets indicates that the two matrices have similar swelling and drug release profile in neutral media, while the complex tablets showed a greater extent of swelling in acidic media due the dissociation of the chitosan from the complex.
Pulsed gradient NMR spectroscopy NMR imaging Self-diffusion coefficients Star polymer Chitosan