Simulation of Drug Concentration Changes in Swollen Hydrogels with Different Compounds of Chitosan and Gelatin Based on PVA

Introduction: Mathematical modeling of drug release is one of the ways to improve the rate of drug diffusion and infiltration in swollen hydrogel based systems. Using this method can provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of drug control and its release. Hydrogels are a swollen biomaterial that needs to be controlled for use in drug release. Purpose and methodology: In this study, five hydrogels with different composition of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Cs) and gelatin (Gel) polymers were studied, MATLAB engineering software and numerical solution were used to simulate the drug release mechanism of hydrogel, Two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphs of drug concentration changes were investigated to evaluate the performance of hydrogels in drug release. result: It was observed that as the concentration of chitosan increased compared to gelatin in the hydrogel composition, the hydrogel swelling rate increased and the drug release in the higher swelling hydrogels showed a higher rate, The drug concentration in the Cs:Gel(3:1) hydrogel, which had the highest swelling rate, required the least time (90 min) to discharge the drug. But Cs:Gel(1:3) hydrogel with the lowest swelling rate, It had the longest time (150 minutes) for drug release. Conclusion: It can be concluded that in hydrogels with high swelling rates the drug concentration decreased rapidly, and in hydrogels with lower swelling rates, drug release time increased. This is because of the importance of mass transfer through bulk movement and swelling.