DRUG RELEASE FROM VISCOELASTIC SWELLING POLYMERIC PLATFORMS

We consider a polymeric spherical platform containing a solid dispersed drug that is in contact with a solvent fluid. While swelling, a non-Fickian sorption of the solvent molecules occurs induced by the effect of the viscoelastic properties of the polymer. The solid drug in contact with the solvent fluid dissolves and a Fickian release of dissolved drug takes place. The fluid entrance, the drug dissolution, and the drug release to an external environment are described by a system of PDEs complemented with an equation for the swelling front, initial, and boundary conditions. The model includes the two major factors that govern a swelling process of a polymeric platform within a release medium: the cross-link density and the concentration of the external medium. Energy estimates for the mass of solvent fluid and of undissolved and dissolved drug in the polymeric platform are established. Numerical simulations that illustrate the theoretical results are also included.