title: Dexamethasone-releasing cochlear implant coatings: application of artificial neural networks for modelling of formulation parameters and drug release profile.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Over the past few decades, mathematical modelling and simulation of drug delivery systems has been steadily gained interest as a focus for academic and industrial attention. Here, simulation of dexamethasone (DEX, a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory agent) release profile from drug-eluting cochlear implant coatings is reported using artificial neural networks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The devices were fabricated as monolithic dispersions of the pharmaceutically active ingredient in a silicone rubber matrix. A two-phase exponential model was fitted on the experimentally obtained DEX release profiles. An artificial neural network (ANN) was trained to determine formulation parameters (i.e. DEX loading percentage, the devices surface area and their geometry) for a specific experimentally obtained drug release profile. In a reverse strategy, an ANN was trained for determining expected drug release profiles for the same set of formulation parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An algorithm was developed by combining the two previously developed ANNs in a serial manner, and this was successfully used for simulating the developed drug-eluting cochlear implant coatings. The models were validated by a leave-one-out method and performing new experiments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The developed ANN algorithms were capable to bilaterally predict drug release profile for a known set of formulation parameters or find out the levels for input formulation parameters to obtain a desired DEX release profile.
authors.affiliation: Novel Drug Delivery Systems Department, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Pedram
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nemati
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imani
authors.forename: Farhid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farahmandghavi
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mirzadeh
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marzban-Rad
authors.forename: Ali Motie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nasrabadi
mesh_terms: D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D003907:Dexamethasone
keywords: artificial neural networks; cochlear implant coatings; dexamethasone; drug release; silicone rubber