Biocompatible polymer blends, such as alginate blends, have a
widespread use in pharmaceutical and medical applications due to their specific
features, such as biodegradation, adhesiveness, and thermo- and pH sensitivity
and that can be obtained from the mixture composition. In this work, the use of
alginate blends was tested in a novel production methodology of therapeutic
dosage forms based on polymeric chain reticulation phenomena induced by
exposure to bivalent ions. Two kinds of sodium alginate were used to obtain gel
films (structured films) in blends with Pluronic F127®. The blends were
considered for applications in gel paving of drug-eluting stents. Sodium alginate
was also used in shell–core particle production (structured particles) to obtain
shell-barrier reducing drug release in the preparative steps (see wash operations).
Both structures, films and particles, were obtained using Cu2+ and Ca2+ ions,
respectively. Film/shell barrier properties were tested in dissolution experiments
using vitamin B12 as an active molecule model. Experimental work demonstrated
that the alginate composition is a crucial point in defining reticulated structures.
