In vitro study of a glucose attached poly(aryl ether) dendron based gel as a drug carrier for a local anaesthetic

Abstract

Herein, we describe the design, synthesis and drug release kinetics of a low molecular weight gel based on an aryl ether dendron, under in vitro conditions. The first generation dendron self-assembles and forms gels, resulting in a robust three-dimensional fibrous network, to facilitate controlled release of molecules. While aryl ether dendrons are known for their enhanced self-assembling propensity, these systems have not been used for drug release studies. The self-assembled system was characterized using SEM, TEM, rheology and PXRD experiments. In vitro cytotoxicity of the dendron gel was studied and the results show that the dendron gel is biocompatible. The effect of gel leaching and the exposure time on NIH/3T3 cells is also studied. Further, the gel based on poly aryl ether dendron derivative (D1) is capable of entrapping model hydrophilic dyes and a local anaesthetic drug (prilocaine hydrochloride), where the D1 gel could effectively entrap about 1.5 mg of prilocaine hydrochloride per 5 mg of gelator. The in vitro drug release suggests that the release kinetics is inversely proportional to the gelator wt%, and the lowest release rate obtained is 1.75 min⁻ⁿ with 0.7 gelator wt%. The release profiles of prilocaine hydrochloride are fitted with the Peppas–Korsmeyer model, and the results depict a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. These studies indicate that the poly aryl ether dendron based gel shows desirable characteristics and also displays promising possibilities of expanding dendron based drug delivery systems for transdermal applications.