Tunable Dual-phase Dual-drug Delivery System using a PLGA Micro particle/PVA Hydrogel Composite

Current Drug Delivery Systems (DDSs) have demonstrated controlled long-term, sustained release but have only tried to diminish burst release. For applications like wound healing, there is a need for a DDS which is adjustable in both short- and long-term release, independent of each other. We present a tunable dual-phase dual-drug delivery system composed of drug-loaded polymer micro particles and drug-loaded hydrogel in this study. This system was created using lidocaine and
dexamethasone encapsulated in poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) particles combined with lidocaine- and dexamethasone-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. Hydrogel drug concentration and micro particle mass fraction were investigated for their impact on short-term and long-term release, respectively. A two weeklong
drug release study was performed with formulations varying only hydrogel drug concentration and micro particle mass fraction. Analysis of drug release revealed that hydrogel drug concentration individually alters short-term release and particle mass fraction individually alters long-term release.