LAUSR

Paracetamol is a safe and widely used antipyretic and analgesic drug, however, with the drawbacks of gastrointestinal first-pass effect and short intervals of administration. Transdermal drug delivery system can effectively avoid the liver metabolism caused by excess oral ingestion of Paracetamol. Herein, we propose a silk fabric-based medical dressing decorated by a thermo-responsive hydrogel for sustained release of paracetamol. Genipin as a bio-safe cross-linker was applied to assist gelation of a thermo-responsive hydrogel system coupled of chitosan and glycerol-phosphate disodium salt (GP) around body temperature (37 °C), as well as densify the microporous gel to improve mechanical strength. The in-situ sol-gel transition enabled hydrogel well penetrate and coat the silk fabric, forming a hierarchical hydrogel structure capable of prolonging sustained release of drug to 12 h, twice as long as a blank fabric. The silk fabric with a thin gel coating maintains good water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), compatible for skin contact application. The drug release properties can be tuned by regulating the genipin content and fabric braiding structure. The silk fabric dressing exhibits temperature-dependent instant release behavior within the first two hours. The sustained release mechanism of paracetamol well matches with the Korsmeyer-Peppas model in a non-Fickian diffusion. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.