Manifest/Non-Manifest Drug Release Patterns from Polysaccharide Based Hydrogels—Case Study on Cyclodextrin—κ Carrageenan Crosslinked Hydrogels

The aim of this study is to offer a comprehensive view on drug release from hydrogel, from both an experimental and a theoretical point of view. Aiming to benefit cyclodextrins’ properties (not irritant; stable; able to modify the physical, chemical and biological properties of active compounds; accessible at low prices) and those of carrageenan polysaccharide (antitumor, immunomodulatory, antihyperlipidemic, anticoagulant, biocompatibility, biodegradability), original hydrogel films based on beta cyclodextrin and kappa carrageenan using epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agent were prepared and characterized from morphological and physical/chemical points of view. The results (morphology, the swelling degree, and the loading/release capacity) proved their potential as carriers for different types of drugs. Further, a new theoretical model, from a multifractal paradigm of motion, was proposed for the drug release from hydrogel films, starting from the fundaments of its evolution at a microscopic level, and aiming to obtain information on system evolution, at both the spatial and temporal scales, inapproachable by quantitative measurements.