Inulin-Based Hydrogel for Oral Delivery ofFlutamide: Preparation, Characterization,and in vivo Release Studies

The ability of a hydrogel obtained by crosslinking INUDV and PEGBa to facilitate sustainedrelease of flutamide is examined. The hydrogel is prepared in pH 7.4 PBS and no toxic solvents or catalysts are used. It is recovered in microparticulate form and its size distributionis determined. Mucoadhesive propertiesare evaluated in vitro by reproducinggastrointestinal conditions. Flutamide isloaded into the hydrogel using a post-fabricationencapsulation procedure thatallows a drug loading comparable to thatof market tablets. Drug-loaded microparticlesare orally administered to cross-breddogs and the in vivo study demonstratestheir ability to prolong the half-life of theprincipal active metabolite approximatelythreefold and to significantly increase itsbioavailability.