Effect of Poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) on the Release of Phenylacetaldehyde from Chitosan Matrix

Abstract To investigate the effect of Poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) on the extended release of Phenylacetalde-hyde, considered as a prototype of drug with aldehyde function, tow series of chitosan (CS) based systems were prepared; graft compolymers Chitosan-Phenylacetaldehyde– graft -poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) [CSPhAcAl- graft -PHEMA] with various PhAcAL ratios, and blends consisting of Chitosan-phenylacetaldehyde/Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) [CSPhAcAl/PHEMA] with different PHEMA. PhAcAl was covalently attached to chitosan CS via Schiff base reaction assisted by pervaporation. FTIR and 1HNMR analyses confirmed chitosan Schiff base formation and its graft copolymerization with PHEMA, while distribution of PhAcAl within the copolymer matrix was examined using XRD and DSC analysis. Both systems exhibited pH-responsive swelling, however, significant differences were observed in their release behavior. CSPhAcAl/PHEMA systems with 3.74 and 8.98 wt% of PhAcAl content demonstrated the highest performance at pH 7. The release kinetics of the grafted systems followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas and Higuchi models, suggesting a Fickian diffusion-controlled mechanism. In contrast, blended systems demonstrated mixed behavior.