title: Molecularly imprinted polymers for alpha-tocopherol delivery.
abstract: Biomedical applications of antioxidants have increased dramatically since the link between human diseases and oxidative stress was established. This paper focuses on alpha -tocopherol and on the possibility of employing molecularly imprinted polymers as a controlled release device for alpha-tocopherol in gastrointestinal simulating fluids. Polymers were synthesized using methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker. Considerable differences in recognition characteristics between imprinted and non-imprinted polymers, both in organic and in aqueous media, were observed. Imprinted polymers bound much more alpha-tocopherol and showed a controlled/sustained drug release capacity in gastrointestinal simulating fluids.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy. francesco.puoci@unical.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puoci
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iemma
authors.forename: Ortensia Ilaria
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Mariarosaria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castiglione
authors.forename: Nevio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Picci
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism; D007419:Intestinal Secretions / Q000378:metabolism; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry; D054802:Molecular Imprinting; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008689:Methacrylates; D011108:Polymers; C008384:methacrylic acid; C004919:ethylene dimethacrylate; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol