title: Controlled release of morphine from a poloxamer 407 gel.
abstract: Treatment of painful ulcers is discouraging. Topical morphine has been described as a useful therapeutic adjunct in some patients. In the development of a new analgesic product, we studied the in vitro release characteristics of a new topical formulation containing 0.5% (w/w) morphine-HCl in a poloxamer 407 (P407) based gel. A diffusion cell was used for measurement of in vitro release characteristics. The donor compartment (DC) and the receptor compartment (RC) were separated by a 5000 Da cellulose acetate membrane. The morphine-HCl release from this developed P407 based gel followed zero-order kinetics with a constant release of 150 μg cm(-2)h(-1). Our results support the use of this P407 gel as a sustained release topical formulation in the pharmacological treatment of painful ulcers. Future research welcomes a formulation with release characteristics leading to less frequent application.
authors.affiliation: Midden-Brabant Hospital Pharmacy, TweeSteden Hospital and St. Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands. mjansen@tsz.nl
authors.forename: Mark M P M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Jacques M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Verzijl
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: Yechiel A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Hekster
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000737:chemistry; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005782:Gels; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009020:Morphine / Q000737:chemistry*; D020442:Poloxamer / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005782:Gels; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D020442:Poloxamer; C005062:acetylcellulose; D009020:Morphine; D002482:Cellulose