Novel membranes from physico-chemically modified deproteinized natural rubber latex: development, characterisation and drug permeation

Abstract

Membranes for efficient drug release have been developed from blends of chemically modified deproteinized natural rubber latex (15GDNRL) with two hydrophilic pharmaceutical polymers viz. hydroxypropylmethycellulose (HPMC) and sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose (SCMC). The compatibility between the components of the membranes has been confirmed by FTIR and TGA. The moisture uptake, swelling experiments and contact angle measurements indicated an enhancement in the hydrophilicity after blending. The antibacterial properties of 15GDNRL have been found to be retained even after blending. The cell viability examination of DNRL and the blends using L-929 mouse fibroblast cells highlighted their biocompatibility after the appropriate physico-chemical modifications. The efficacy of the membranes for drug release was analysed through permeation experiments using metformin hydrochloride (MET) as a model drug. The release kinetics were evaluated using different mathematical models.