The Interactions and Release Kinetics of Sodium Hyaluronate Implemented in Nonionic and Anionic Polymeric Hydrogels, Studied by Immunoenzymatic ELISA Test

Hyaluronan is a natural polymer that was introduced to wound therapy. Formulations based on synthetic polymers such as methylcellulose (MC) and polyacrylic acid (PA) containing hyaluronan (HA) were proposed for the development of prospective wound-healing preparations. The formulations of different carrier concentrations containing a fixed amount of HA were prepared, and their viscosity was measured. The HA release was evaluated by employing the apparatus paddle over a disc. The hydrogels were introduced to the donor chamber, and HA was released to the pH = 7.4 buffer. The amount of HA released was obtained using the ELISA test. The release was analyzed on the basis of different kinetic models: zero-, first-, and second-order kinetics, as well as Higuchi and Korsmeyer–Peppas equations. The release rate constants and the half release time were calculated from these equations. According to the value of the coefficient of the determination, the best model describing the observed process was selected. The comparison between the dissolution profiles was carried out by calculating the difference factor f1 and the similarity factor f2. The interaction between the hydrogel components was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The study revealed that the zero-order equation best described the release of HA from the formulations studied. The FTIR research and the DSC study showed the intermolecular interaction between HA chains in MC-based compositions, as well as between HA and the synthetic polymer in the PA-based formulations. The study revealed that the formulation with a higher concentration of synthetic polymer may prolong the release of HA. The obtained results indicated that the proposed hydrogels have potential for wound healing and may accelerate skin regeneration.