Drug release from a porous ion-exchange membrane in vitro

The effect of environmental ionic strength on the rate of drug release from a cation exchange membrane was evaluated. Cationic propranolol–HCl, timolol, sotalol–HCl, atenolol and dexmedetomidine–HCl and neutral diazepam were adsorbed onto a porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane that was grafted with bioadhesive poly(acrylic acid) chains (PAA–PVDF). Despite its porosity, the PAA–PVDF membrane acted as a cation exchange membrane. The release of adsorbed drug from the PAA–PVDF membrane was investigated by using a USP rotating basket apparatus. Adsorption of cationic drugs onto the PAA–PVDF membrane tended to increase with increasing lipophilicity of the drug. A decrease in the ionic strength of the adsorption medium increased the amount of the cationic drugs adsorbed onto the membrane, but had no effect on diazepam adsorption. The release of cationic drugs from the PAA–PVDF membrane was greatly affected by the ionic strength of both the adsorption medium and the dissolution medium, while ionic strengths did not affect diazepam release. Our results suggest that the ionic strength of both the adsorption and dissolution media substantially affects the release rate of a drug that has been adsorbed onto the ion exchange membrane, primarily via electrostatic interactions, while ionic strength has no effect on the release of a drug which has been adsorbed onto the membrane via non-electrostatic forces.