Development of carrageenan-carboxymethylcellulose blend hydrogel for controlled insulin release

Insulin is globally required to treat diabetes patients via injection into the subcutaneous tissue under the fat layer of skin. However, this method may cause pain to patients. To avoid these issues, insulin delivery through a transdermal patch is a promising alternative for sustained insulin delivery. In this study, we studied the potential of kappa-carrageenan (κ-CA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) blend hydrogels as a matrix for controlled insulin release. The κ-CA/CMC hydrogel was prepared by casting method at various blending ratios. The release was investigated via modified Franz diffusion cells under using the PBS buffer solution of pH 7.4 at 37 °C for human blood simulation. According to the results, the swelling behavior and amount of insulin release were decreased with increasing κ-CA:CMC ratio. The highest amount of insulin release was 59.34% within 2 h from the κ-CA/CMC hydrogel ratio of 1:1.