Synthesis and characterizations of amla-based novel hydrogel matrix for the targeted and controlled release of the anticancer 5-fluorouracil drug

The primary objective of this study is to synthesize, optimize, and analyze a hydrogel derived from amla, designed for use as a pharmaceutical excipient to inhibit tumor cell growth. The hydrogel was characterized using FTIR, XRD, and TGA to confirm the formation of a crosslinked network. The physicochemical properties, including swelling capacity, water retention, porosity, density, gel fraction, in vitro degradation, pH of the aqueous extract, and drug activity, were comprehensively evaluated. The hydrogel achieved a maximum swelling capacity of 300%. The hydrogel demonstrated a porosity of 0.998 and a density of 2.5 g/cm³. Swelling percentages in various biological fluids were observed in the following order: 280% (urea) > 245% (glucose) > 205% (saline solution). The synthesized hydrogel exhibited a gel fraction of 83.5%. In vitro degradation studies revealed that the hydrogel degraded by 95.6% over 25 days, with an average daily degradation rate of 3.824%, making it suitable for long-term drug delivery applications. Drug release studies confirmed that the hydrogel is pH-responsive, with significantly higher swelling at pH 4 and maximum drug release observed at pH 4.5. Furthermore, the hydrogel exhibited prolonged drug release under acidic, basic, and neutral pH conditions for up to 70 h, with sustained release behavior across all pH environments. The optimal release rate was achieved under acidic or tumor-like pH conditions. Therefore, the hydrogel-based drug delivery system developed using amla as a novel matrix demonstrates promising potential for pharmaceutical applications, especially in tumor-targeted therapies.

Graphical Abstract