Novel gastroretentive drug delivery systems in the form of superporous hydrogels were developed to achieve prolonged epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) delivery. The optimized formulation was composed of 2% w/w chitosan, 2% w/w poly(vinyl alcohol), and 0.3% w/w glyoxal. It displayed rapid swelling within 5 minutes of immersion in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid (pH 1.2) and exhibited a gradual release of more than 80% of EGCG over 8 hours. The superporous hydrogels exhibited high compressive strength, suggesting resistance to the contractile pressure in the stomach. The degradation kinetics of the systems depended on the contents of chitosan and PVA. The optimized formulation significantly reduced nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity. These results suggest that the superporous hydrogel could serve as an effective alternative delivery system for herbal anti-inflammatory agents.
Keywords: Epigallocatechin Gallate, Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System, Superporous Hydrogel
How to cite this article: Lakhiew A, Praparatana R, Issarachot O, Wiwattanapatapee R, Development of Biodegradable Superporous Hydrogels for Gastroretentive Delivery of Epigallocatechin Gallate. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(1): 388-402. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.1.42
Source of support: Financial support from the Project of Strengthening Excellence in Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University.