Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a biocompatible, highly hydrophilic and nontoxic polymer which has great potential for modification and can be use as beneficial hydrogels. In the present work, PVA was firstly modified by bromoacetyl bromide to produce bromoacetylated PVA. Then various diamines such as ethylene diamine, propylene diamine and hexamethlene diamine were used for crosslinking of bromoacetylated PVA to synthesize three-dimensional hydrogels. The swelling behavior of prepared hydrogels was investigated in which ethylene diamine-crosslinked PVA by ethylene diamine showed a fast initial swelling followed by a mild increase before attaining equilibrium. The loading of cefftreiaxon antibiotic on the hydrogels was carried out and in vitro drug release of drug loaded hydrogels was investigated. The results show that the drug release rate was enhanced by an increase in pH. The PVA hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy.
Keywords: drug delivery systems; hydrogel; poly(vinyl alcohol); cefftreiaxon