I am trying to measure the release of nanoparticles from a hydrogel, but I am facing an issue. When I place the hydrogel in PBS, it absorbs all the buffer, making it difficult to collect the release medium. If I add a large volume of PBS, I do not detect a significant difference in nanoparticle concentration over time.
Has anyone encountered a similar issue? What methods can I use to accurately measure the release of nanoparticles from the hydrogel? Would using a dialysis membrane, periodic buffer exchange, or another approach help? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Use dialysis membranes to separate swollen hydrogels from release medium while maintaining sink conditions, coupled with periodic buffer exchanges and sensitive detection (UV-Vis/HPLC). Optimize hydrogel porosity, nanoparticle charge, and mechanical stability to minimize absorption interference.
Abdelhak Maghchiche Thank you for your suggestion, Could you please clarify what you mean by 'sink conditions' ? Also, when performing periodic buffer exchange, should I replace the entire buffer volume or just a part of it to maintain proper release dynamics?
- Sink conditions involve using a dissolution medium that is several times the saturation volume of the drug to maintain consistent dissolution rates. For buffer exchanges, replace only a portion (e.g., 10–20%) of the buffer to maintain sink conditions while preventing saturation.
I am currently working on measuring nanoparticle release from a CMC/PAA hydrogel. Despite several attempts, I have not been able to detect a significant release profile in my experiments. I would be very grateful if you could share the complete protocol or provide some guidance regarding the specific conditions or steps you used for accurate measurement Abdelhak Maghchiche
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