A pH-Responsive Hydrogel for the Oral Delivery of Ursolic Acid: A Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Phytochemical

In this study, poly(HEMA-PEGxMEM-IA) hydrogels were prepared by radical copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGxMEM), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and itaconic acid (IA). The reaction was carried out in ethanolic solution using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent and 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HCPK) as a photo-initiator. The poly(HEMA-PEGxMEM-IA) hydrogels (HGx) were evaluated as a delivery system for ursolic acid (UA), a phytochemical extracted from the plant <i>Clinopodium revolutum,</i> "flor de arena". The hydrogels were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling behavior was studied in buffer solutions from pH 2 to 10, specifically at pH 2.2 (gastric environment) and 7.4 (intestinal environment). It was found that the hydrogels studied showed sensitivity to pH. At pH 2.2, the degree of swelling for HG₅ and HG₉ hydrogels was 0.45 and 0.93 (g water/g hydrogel), respectively. At pH 7.4, the degree of swelling for HG₅ and HG₉ hydrogels was 1.97 and 2.64 (g water/g hydrogel), respectively. The SEM images show the variation in pore size as a function of pH, and the UA crystals in the pores of the hydrogels can also be observed. The in vitro UA release data best fit the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model and the diffusion exponent indicates that the release mechanism is governed by Fickian diffusion.