SIGMOIDAL SWELLING PROFILES FOR TEMPERATURE-RESPONSIVE POLY(N-ISOPROPYLACRYLAMIDE-CO-BUTYL METHACRYLATE) HYDROGELS

Temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butyl methacrylate) gels exhibit ''on-off'' regulation of drug release in response to temperature. In a previous study, swelling kinetics of these gels from deswollen to swollen states at several temperatures were investigated. It was demonstrated that the swelling behavior of the gel changed at various temperatures, yielding several patterns of drug release profiles. At 20-degrees-C, gel swelling increased with time, which was explained using a Case-II transport mechanism. In this mechanism, the glassy polymer matrix core acts to suppress the swelling of the outer region when swelling forces dominate. By reducing the experimental temperature to 10-degrees-C and utilizing the greatly enhanced hydration of polymer chains after disappearance of the glassy core, a sigmoidal swelling pattern gives rise to novel drug release profiles. In this study, these swelling mechanisms have been verified in detail by theoretical analysis. The existence of a swelling front was confirmed by observation of the colored gel using a dye. When the thickness of gel was changed. the acceleration of swelling was delayed with increasing thickness, and the acceleration times agreed with theoretical values predicted from the model. The observed changes in diameter and thickness of the gel also supported the model. These results demonstrate the validity of the model presented in the previous paper.