Green Fabrication and Release Mechanisms of pH-Sensitive Chitosan-Ibuprofen Aerogels for Controlled Transdermal Delivery of Ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug due to its analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory actions. However, its poor solubility in water makes it difficult to manufacture ibuprofen tablets, which limited the application of ibuprofen in drug delivery systems. Polymer-drug aerogels have attracted huge interest in optimizing the drug delivery efficiency and improving the physicochemical characteristics and therapeutic quality. Here, chitosan-ibuprofen aerogels with excellent swelling, high biocompatibility, and better drug delivery efficiency were synthesized by a simple method. Our study found that the chitosan-ibuprofen aerogels exhibited remarkably improved thermal stability, excellent swelling ratio, and high drug loading. As a consequence of these favorable properties, the chitosan-ibuprofen aerogels exhibited improved drug delivery efficiency and achieved drug prolonged administration. Our study highlights the great potential of polymer-drug aerogels in improving the drug delivery efficiency of transdermal drug delivery systems.