title: Preparation and characterization of in-situ ionic cross-linked pectin films: II. Biodegradation and drug diffusion.
abstract: In the present study the enzymatic biodegradation of a series of calcium pectinate (CaP) films, produced by in-situ crosslinking of pre-formed low methoxy pectin films in a calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution, has been assessed. The degradation level was determined by measuring the concentration of short chain fatty acid salts (SCFA), which are the natural metabolites of pectin. To this end an ex-vivo model, mimicking the colon's environment, was utilized. The results showed that a fully calcified film from a high concentration of CaCl2solution did not exhibit any tendency to biodegradability throughout the test time. Contrastively, a low concentration of the crosslinking solution resulted in fully calcified films which could clearly present considerably higher biodegradability. SEM analysis was used to characterize the surface of CaP films after an exposure to human feces. The permeability of CaP films to different model drugs was also tested.
authors.affiliation: PolyCaps Ltd., Chief Science and Technology Officer at PolyCaps Ltd., Atidim Technology Park, BLDG #4, 13th, Tel Aviv 61580, Israel; Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, The Azrieli Jerusalem College of Engineering, 26 Yaakov Shreibom St., Jerusalem 91035, Israel. Electronic address: adel@polycaps.com.
authors.forename: Adel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Penhasi
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D002122:Calcium Chloride; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology; D004058:Diffusion; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D010368:Pectins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010539:Permeability
chemical_list: D010368:Pectins; D002122:Calcium Chloride
keywords: Biodegradation; Calcium pectinate film; Colonic delivery; Drug diffusion; In- situ cross-linking; Low methoxy pectin