Effect of Oppositely Charged Polymer and Dissolution Media on Rheology of Spray-Dried Ionic Complexes

The purpose of this research was to address the utility of rheological study in understanding the influence of oppositely charged polymers on release of naproxen sodium encapsulated in chitosan particles. The interaction between oppositely charged κ-carrageenan (κ-Ca) and chitosan leads to relatively higher gel strength, which is proportional to the ability to retard the drug release at acidic pH. The oscillatory tests within the linear viscoelastic range where the stress is proportional to the applied strain were performed on the hydrated sample matrices containing chitosan-naproxen sodium spray-dried complexes and k-Ca or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in various ratios. It was observed that the effect of pH change on the dynamic moduli in spray-dried complexes containing κ-Ca was much stronger than that with HPMC reflecting presence of strong ionic interaction between κ-Ca and chitosan. The combination of oppositely charged polymers in different ratios proved to be useful in modulating the rheological properties of the hydrated formulations and their release-retarding properties. Dynamic moduli can be used to measure gel strength and are significant for the interpretation of oral sustained release spray-dried complexes.