Drug delievery is an exciting branch of pharmaceutical chemistry where scientists tend to apply importance for carrier matrices to precisely release the drug at the specific targets for its mechanism of action. Medium formulation is a classical process where pharmaceutical minds have exploited a diversified range of solvents varying in their electrostatic behavior with the drug for delievery at defined dosages but frequently encountered limitations in toxicity and biodegradation properties in spite of their potential activities which led to bio-based medium with self-destructive nature.

Researchers from India have utilized castor oil as a key source for the synthesis of bio-polymer based medium in drug delivery process as it well noted earlier that castor oil is an excellent substrate for the production of polyamides and polyesters etc. Experimenters have synthesized a co-polyester with castor oil and citric acid in a catalytic reaction and paracetamol drug of standard concentration was immobilized on to the matrix polymer.They made their initial evaluation under bio simulated,  in vitro conditions for the drug delievery into the surrounding solution and found that the drug was released at elevated levels initially but gradually fell down and it was confirmed through their spectroscopic analysis.They also reported that the matrix  exhibited hydrolytic degradation after a complete release of drug.

The results of the experiment seem to be promising for an alternate carrier medium but it would be convincing to display it under in vivo conditions as the parameters affecting the ligand-receptor dissociation are in multiples under the real gastro-intestinal physiology.It is also worthwhile to note the mechanism of detoxification that the castor oil based co-polyester follows in the body for its wide spectrum of drug delievery applications in a systemic run.

For reference:Iranian Polymer Journal, Volume 5-Number 1 (1996).