(471) Enhancing pH-responsive drug release in gastrointestinal environment by alginate–CMC/CAP microbeads

Introduction: Colon-targeted drug delivery can locally elevate drug concentrations. However, it requires preventing premature drug release in the stomach. Although alginate is widely used for drug encapsulation in hydrogels ^[1], its pH responsiveness remains limited. In this study, sodium alginate (SA) was blended with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) ^[2] to prepare pH-responsive microspheres, and their drug release behavior under gastrointestinal environment was evaluated.