In order to measure the entrapment efficiency directly, I need to degrade my nano-hydrogel to release the drug content. I think some acids (for example sulfuric acid and nitric acid) can help to do that. but in which percent? and also is there any exact protocol for that?
Dear Elaheh Entezar-Almahdi, I don't it will be possible to degrade selectively the gel matrix without affecting the drug. Any way sulfuric acid and any strong oxidazing agent can be used. My Regards
If it is cross-linked, it would be quite difficult to dissolve it! So, I suggest doing CHNSO (elemental analysis) for the bare and the drug-load polymer. Then compare the two polymers.
If the drug does not bear N and/or S elements, it would be quite easy to determine the N or S percentage in the drug-loaded polymer by the CHNSO elemental analysis (with no need to analyze the bare polymer).
In case you decided to do the analysis, have the mass of the polymer used for the analysis.
Ali Nematollahzadeh Many thanks for your valuable comment Dr Nematollahzadeh. But unfortunately my drug bear NH2 in its structure.
Do you think strong acids can't help to digest this kind of polymer?
So, you can analysis a bare and drug loaded polymer by CHNSO analysis and compare the tow.
FYI, already I have used HF (3 M) and also concentrated NaOH for the chemical bond breaking of methylen-bebis-acrylamide (10 %)cross-linked acrylamide. NaOH was more effective but it couldn't completely destroy the polymer backbone.
You may give try to the both (CHNSO and acid/base digestion).
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