Antibacterial polyvinyl chloride/antibiotic films: The effect of solvent on morphology, antibacterial activity, and release kinetics

Abstract

Abstract Medical‐grade polyvinyl chloride was modified with sodium ampicillin in a concentration range from 0 to 5 wt % by solvent casting technique using cyclohexanone and N,N ‐dimethylformamide. The obtained polymeric systems were characterized by optical microscopy, tensile test, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, in vitro antibacterial activity against Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria was determined by an agar diffusion test. Antibiotic release experiments were performed in distilled water and physiological saline solution, which were monitored by UV‐vis spectroscopy. The results showed a crucial role of the solvent on the morphology, antibacterial activity, and releasing characteristic of the ampicillin. Furthermore, a mathematical model was applied to data obtained from release study, to characterize the release kinetics of the ampicillin from the polyvinyl chloride‐antibiotic systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010