Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Assisted Impregnation of Ibuprofen on Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA)

oleh: Liane Meneses, Rita Craveiro, Ana Rita Jesus, Maria A. M. Reis, Filomena Freitas, Alexandre Paiva

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-08-01

Deskripsi

In this work, we propose the utilization of scCO<sub>2</sub> to impregnate ibuprofen into the mcl-PHA matrix produced by <i>Pseudomonas chlororaphis</i> subs. <i>aurantiaca</i> (DSM 19603). The biopolymer has adhesive properties, is biocompatible and has a melting temperature of 45 °C. Several conditions, namely, pressure (15 and 20 MPa) and impregnation time (30 min, 1 h and 3 h) were tested. The highest ibuprofen content (90.8 ± 6.5 mg of ibuprofen/g<sub>PHA</sub>) was obtained at 20 MPa and 40 °C, for 1 h, with an impregnation rate of 89 mg/(g·h). The processed mcl-PHA samples suffered a plasticization, as shown by the decrease of 6.5 °C in the T<sub>g</sub>, at 20 MPa. The polymer’s crystallinity was also affected concomitantly with the matrices’ ibuprofen content. For all the impregnation conditions tested the release of ibuprofen from the biopolymer followed a type II release profile. This study has demonstrated that the mcl-PHA produced by <i>P. chlororaphis</i> has a great potential for the development of novel topical drug delivery systems.