New Polymeric Hydrogel Formulations based on Poly(vinyl alcohol) for the Controlled Release of Bovine Serum Albumin

Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels have a significant range of mechanical properties based on compositional and processing parameters. Biodegradable hydrogels based on Poly(vinyl alcohol) were prepared for controlled drug delivery of bovine serum albumin. These hydrogels were synthesized by a crosslinking technique using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. Hydrogels containing drug were prepared by direct adsorption method. The loading yield was found to depend on both the impregnation time and the amount of encapsulated drug. Glutaraldehyde was utilized as cross-linking agent at different concentration. Increase in the concentration of the cross-linking agent will cause a decrease in the extent of loading of the system.