| Abstract: | Stimuli‐responsive hydrogels are extensively investigated to implement new biomedical and pharmaceutical approaches. In this work, novel pH‐sensitive semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) hydrogels based on starch and poly(aspartic acid) (PAsp) with potential applicability in the field of pharmaceutics were prepared and characterized. The goal was to obtain a colon specific drug delivery system and to exploit the pH‐sensitive behavior of the hydrogels. The obtained hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), DSC, and SEM. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels with a suitable ratio of starch and poly(aspartic acid) was investigated in gastrointestinal simulated conditions. Moreover, the drug release studies were carried out using 5‐Flurouracil as a model of anticancer drug in enzyme free simulated gastrointestinal conditions and simulated intestinal conditions containing α‐amylase, respectively. The obtained hydrogels, due to their excellent pH‐sensitive release property, could be potentially used as drug delivery systems for the oral treatment of colonic cancer. |
