Comparative Study of Polycomplexes Based on Carbopol® and Oppositely Charged Polyelectrolytes as a New Oral Drug Delivery System

We report here a comparative study of the release of model drug diclofenac sodium from samples of interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPEC) in in vitro conditions on a rotating basket apparatus and in vivo in experiments in rabbits. The study IPEC were prepared using different grades of Carbopol® polymer (C71g, C2020) and Noveon® AA-1 and oppositely charged polyelectrolytes – Eudragit® EPO or the natural polysaccharide low-viscosity chitosan. These studies demonstrated the potential for IPEC samples based on Carbopol® as a new modified-release drug delivery system. At the same time, assessment of bioadhesive properties provided evidence of the potential for using IPEC based on C2020/EPO as a mucoadhesive carrier.