Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymer of Chitosan Grafted Poly(methyl methacrylate) for 5-Fluorouracil and Controlled Release

The molecular surface imprinted graft copolymer of chitosan with methyl methacrylate (MIP-CS-g-PMMA) were prepared by free radical polymerization with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as the template molecule using initiator of ammonium persulfate as adsorption system. MIPs were characterized by FTIR, X-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, (1)H NMR and SEM. The mechanism of graft copolymerization and factors affected graft reaction were studied in details, and the optimum reaction conditions (to the highest %G and %E as the standard) were obtained at [MMA] 1.2 mol/L, [Chitosan] 16.67 mol/L, [initiator] 0.0062 mol/L, temperature 60 °C and reaction time 7 h. MIPs exhibited high recognition selectivity and excellent combining affinity to template molecular. The in vitro release of the 5-FU was highly pH-dependent and time delayed. The release behavior showed that the drugs did not release in simulated gastric fluid (pH = 1.0), and the drug release was small in the simulated small intestinal fluid (pH = 6.8), and drug abrupt release will be produced in the simulated colon fluid (pH = 7.4), indicating excellent colon-specific drug delivery behavior.