ELUSIVE PHARMACEUTICAL FUNCTION OF MULTI-ADVANTAGES DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM FROM NATURAL MUSHROOM

The κ-carrageenan/sodium alginate beads were prepared for drug delivery system. The presented study; describes the preparation of κ-carrageenan/sodium alginate beads and their feasibility as potential carriers for delivery of polysaccharide drugs was evaluated. Moreover, the pH sensitive behavior of beads was measured in simulated gastrointestinal tract condition. Furthermore, the hydrogel beads were loaded with polysaccharides extracted from naturalmushroom, and their release was monitored. This results showed that; the swelling ratio of beads indicated pH-dependent properties with maximum water absorbing at pH 7.4. Moreover, the highest amount of released polysaccharide was 27.2% at pH value 7.4 within 6 h. It was observed that the encapsulation of κ-carrageenan with sodium alginate reduced the premature release of drug in the stomach mimicked condition acidic pH and released the drug more specifically to the colon mimicked condition alkaline pH. Therefore, these results suggest that microcapsules could be further developed as effective drug delivery system with pH sensitive drug release ability.