title: Anticancer drug, ara-C, release from pHEMA hydrogels.
abstract: This study investigates the controlled release of cytarabine (ara-C), an anticancer drug, from a polymeric matrix of lightly cross-linked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA). The swelling of pHEMA discs in water was analysed as a function of temperature and thickness of xerogel discs. The fractional swelling was linear in (time)1/2 for short time periods. Drug release kinetics were examined as a function of temperature, initial drug load and thickness of pHEMA discs. The fraction of available drug release was also linear in (time)1/2 during the initial stages. These studies allow for the determination of diffusion coefficients for both the transport of water into the hydrogel and ara-C release from the polymer.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Trigo
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Teijón
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sastre
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000378:metabolism; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004058:Diffusion; D005782:Gels; D008433:Mathematics; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005782:Gels; D011108:Polymers; D003561:Cytarabine; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate