Photocrosslinked microgels for oral delivery of macromolecular based-therapeutics

In this work we present the fabrication of planar micro-hydrogels serving as vehicle for oral delivery of poorly bioavailable drugs. Microfabricated gels were prepared by means of selective exposure of aqueous solutions of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) to UV light. The microgels were loaded with a model protein and the release profile over time was studied. Unlike other photoreticulated polymers, PVP microgels were obtained without the use of organic solvents and commercially available cytotoxic photoinitiators [1]. Moreover, the change in the UV exposure time allowed to modulate the release kinetics of the embedded macromolecule. These results suggest that, in the future, microfabricated gels can have an impact on the oral administration of a broad range of therapeutics.