Pulsed release of antidepressants from nanocomposite hydrogels

The pulsed release of three antidepressants (paroxetine, duloxetine, vortioxetine), loaded on two vinyl hydrogels bearing -amino acid residues (L-phenylalanine, L-valine) and embedded magnetic nanoparticles, was evaluated in different buffer solutions of purposely chosen pHs (2.9, 4.6, and 7.4). At low pH values the release of the drug was always small for a long period of days, and it underwent a sudden increase when a solution of pH 7.4 was maintained for a short period of hours. The releasing increase becomes much higher as greater was the residence time of the solution in contact with the hydrogel. The application of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) further increases the amount of drug released during the pH pulses. These different release variations were related to a different and reversible ability to swell of the hydrogel. The mechanism behind the process was mainly due to the different acid/base behaviour of the free carboxyl groups.