DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH OF THE PROPERTIES OF GELATIN-BASED HYDROGEL MATERIALS FOR TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35546/kntu2078-4481.2026.1.7Keywords:
gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, hyaluronic acid, hydrogels, polymer compositions, hydrogel materialsAbstract
The aim of the work is to develop and study the properties of hydrogel materials based on gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol and hyaluronic acid (Gelatin/PVA/HA), which combine high mechanical strength, optimal porosity and the ability to provide effective diffusion release of drugs in transdermal delivery systems. The work aims to develop and study the properties of hydrogel materials based on gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, and hyaluronic acid (Gelatin/PVA/HA), which combine high mechanical strength, optimal porosity, and the ability to provide effective drug diffusion and release in transdermal delivery systems. The work investigates the rheological, structural, and sorption properties of hydrogel films composed of gelatin/ polyvinyl alcohol modified with hyaluronic acid and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, to assess their suitability as matrices for transdermal therapeutic systems. Rheological studies have shown that all the systems studied exhibit non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behaviour characteristic of polymer compositions. With an increase in shear rate, viscosity decreases due to the destruction of intermolecular interactions and partial disorganisation of the polymer network. The elemental gelatin/PVA compositions exhibit the lowest viscosity values. At the same time, the introduction of HA leads to an increase in proportion to the concentration, especially in the low shear rate range. Determination of the gel fraction showed that the addition of hyaluronic acid reduces the degree of cross-linking of hydrogels: at a content of 0.5 wt.% HA, the gel fraction decreases by 3–5 % and by 8–10 % at 1.0 wt.%, which is associated with the leaching of uncrosslinked HA. A study of the kinetics of swelling in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4) revealed a significant increase in the equilibrium degree of swelling when HA was added. Compositions with 0.5 % HA exhibit an optimal balance of high hydrophilicity and structural stability, whereas at 1 % HA, excessive swelling (>700 %) and a decrease in mechanical strength are observed. The results obtained indicate the promise of gelatin/PVA/ HA hydrogels with controlled hyaluronic acid content for use in transdermal therapeutic systems.
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