Experimental and modeling description of hydrogel-based controlled release systems

The use of hydrogels in the development of pharmaceutical forms is widespread. The aim of this work is to describe the phenomena involved in the hydration of a hydrogel-based matrix. Gravimetric analyses have been used to describe the mass evolutions of water, drug, and polymer inside the matrix during the dissolution. Moreover, a texture analysis has been performed to quantify the water absorbed during the matrix dissolution. Finally, a mathematical model able to describe all the phenomena involved has been proposed and compared with the experimental results.