Preparation and physicochemical characterization of drug loaded in castor oil-based polyurethane

Abstract

Castor oil is an environmentally friendly alternative to hydrocarbon-based feedstocks for the synthesis of polyurethanes due to its major constituent, ricinoleic acid. This work aimed to obtain and characterize castor oil-based polyurethane (coPU) systems containing domperidone and verapamil hydrochloride, separately, as model drugs. The drug-loaded coPU systems were obtained by solvent evaporation method and were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. Additionally, dissolution studies and scanning electron microscopy were performed. Verapamil hydrochloride was successfully incorporated in coPU, once it interacted through hydrogen bonds, and this system showed as a potential candidate for sustained drug release. Domperidone precipitated during solvent evaporation, resulting in a drug suspension into the polymer matrix. However, around 20% of domperidone interacted chemically with the polymer by the reaction of the active hydrogen of domperidone imidazole groups with the terminal isocyanate of the prepolymer. Finally, the drug release profile is guided by the drug-polymer physicochemical interaction, which will depend on the drug and polymer functional groups that are stereochemically available.